New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
| Color of the day: Gold
Incense of the day: Poplar Lughnasadh, also spelled Lunasa, is the first day of the autumn on the modern Celtic calendar. The name means "the games of Lugh." Lugh is the Celtic god of the Sun and the harvest. He is called "the master of all the arts," and is prayed to for prosperity. Because of his skill and because he is the benefactor of one's prosperity, the Celts associated him with the Roman god Mercury. Like Mercury, Lugh is a god of magic. In Celtic myth, before the evil Fomorian earth-giants will relinquish the fruits of the soil, they have to be persuaded by the hero Lugh. In his heroic quest, Lugh, like many sacred heroes such as Christ and Buddha, dies and is reborn. This holiday commemorates his victory and his rebirth. The day is celebrated with horse races and athletic events and the baking and eating of bread-hence its Christian name Lammas, which means "loaf mass." As we eat this bread, we share in the power and health of Lugh. To participate in the holiday, bake round loves of bread using pure whole wheat, and transform them into Lugh's talisman by inscribing the symbol of a wheel-a circle divided by a cross-on the top crust. |
