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Lughnasad. Extract from Once Around the Sun

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We are approaching the Wheel of the Year harvest festival of Lughnasad, or Lammas, celebrated at the start of August. Here’s an excerpt about Lughnasad from the book Once Around the Sun by Ellen Evert Hopman:

The festival of Lúnasa

The festival of Lúnasa derives its name from the classic Irish Lúghnasadh. A nasad is an assembly, and thus Lúnasa is the “Assembly of Lugh.” Lugh, a Celtic God of light, the sun, and the harvest, was king of the mythical Tuatha Dé Danann, and this festival celebrates the beginning of the harvest season.

Lúnasa is celebrated on hilltops, on the tops of mountains, on riverbanks, and by ponds and lakes. Offerings such as fresh butter, flowers, and fruits are left on or beside holy wells, lakes, and waterways. Loaves of bread made with the new grain are shared. Great fairs are held, with athletic, music, dance, and poetry competitions. Debts are settled, weddings or hand-fastings (trial marriages of a year and a day) performed, contracts signed, and new laws declared. It can be a wild, joyful time to thank the Gods for the abundance of the crops and to ask for their blessing in gathering the harvest.

The start of a story:

The old shanachie was making his rounds again, and as usual he was on his way to the little thatched cottage where Fiona and her family lived. It was now mid-July, high summer, which was always a good time for a tale because the crops had been planted but the harvest had not yet begun.

The days were long at this time of year, and the sun still shone even after supper was finished and all the dishes were put away. In the evenings, Fiona liked to sit on the little wall in front of the thatched cottage and watch the horses and carts pass by. She always waved at them, whether she recognized the horses and riders or not. This evening, she was thrilled to see the shanachie making his way down the lane. Fiona noticed that he was carrying something new this time—a long, shiny stick.

“Hullo!” Fiona cried as she ran to give him a hug. At five years of age, she was so small that she could only reach his legs, but the shanachie bent down to bring himself closer.

“What’s that you’re carrying?” Fiona asked.

“This? Why, this is my Faery stick. It’s made from a blackthorn tree. It brings me luck and protection everywhere I travel!”

Fiona’s eyes grew wide and round as copper pennies. The shanachie was always full of surprises. “Have you come to tell us another story?”

“Why yes, I have!” said the shanachie. “It’s almost time for the reaping to begin, so I thought I would tell you a story about Lugh, the great God of the harvest.”

You see, the shanachie was one of a long line of storytellers, each the son of a storyteller, trained by his father and his grandfathers before him. Their lineage went all the way back to the ancient Druids. It was the responsibility of the Druids and bards to pass down the old tales because they had much wisdom hidden in them and were far too precious to be forgotten.

The shanachie entered the house with Fiona dancing at his feet. Mamaí took his cloak and walking stick as Daidi handed him a cool glass of apple cider. Fiona’s grandmother led him to his usual seat by the fire, and just as soon as he was settled the neighbors started coming in.

When everyone was comfortably seated, the shanachie cleared his throat, took one more sip of cider, and began to spin his tale.

“It was the end of summer, a long, long, long time ago, when the grain was yellow and already ripening in the fields but not yet ready to be cut.”

“You mean like now?” asked Fiona, who was seated on the floor gazing up at the shanachie with excitement in her eyes.

“Shhhhh!” said Mamaí, in a loud whisper.

The shanachie continued…

Once Around the Sun is a Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Gold Winner for 2023 in the category of children’s books.

A holiday is not just a sacred occasion, but a festive one, full of anticipation and celebrated with foods and customs unique to the season. In Once Around the Sun, Ellen Hopman offers holiday traditions to enhance the experience of the sacred year. 

Where to Find Ellen Evert Hopman’s books
You can find Ellen’s books at www.elleneverthopman.com 

Her most recent children’s book, Once Around the Sun – Stories, Crafts and Recipes to Celebrate the Sacred Earth Year, can be found here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Once-Around-the-Sun/Ellen-Evert-Hopman/9781644114148 

Her newest herbal, The Sacred Herbs of Yule and Christmas – Remedies, Recipes, Magic, and Brews for the Winter Season, can be purchased here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Sacred-Herbs-of-Yule-and-Christmas/Ellen-Evert-Hopman/9781644117804 

Just released: Celtic Druidry: Rituals, Techniques and Magical Practices. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Celtic-Druidry/Ellen-Evert-Hopman/9781644118603

To read more posts like this visit A Bad Witch’s Blog at www.badwitch.co.uk


Source: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2025/07/lughnasad-extract-from-once-around-sun.html


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Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world. Anyone can join. Anyone can contribute. Anyone can become informed about their world. "United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.


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