Sunday, August 1, 2010

A quick apology and little about Lammas...

I want to thank everyone who commented on my blog and apologize to those whose comments where caught up in moderation and for not responding to the thoughtful feedback I received. I have been traveling more than usual for work lately (and will continue to do so throughout August) and so I haven't been working that spell at all and haven't been in a position (with the travel) for the spell to even manifest properly. I may resume it in the fall and will keep you posted. Future posts may be limited too. But I will be back in the fall, I'm sure.

Until then, this is more religious than magical, but here are few comments on Lammas I wrote up on Lammas I wrote up as part of my process of making the Wheel of the Year holidays more my own.

On Lammas...

The typical view of Lammas is "first harvest" and is associated with bread. Based on my research into the history of this holiday, this is because this part of the Wheel of the Year tends to follow the growth cycle of wheat and this is generally the time of year that the first harvest of wheat is done. So folks are harvesting grain and baking bread with it.

Given that so much food comes in at different times in the growth cycle (from spring asparagus to the fall squash and root veggies), this helped me understand that "first harvest" aspect, although I still think it is a bit of a misnomer. I also get why people were baking bread as I imagine bread baked with fresh wheat is fantastic (from a foodie perspective) and also grain stores may have been low (possibly gone) or perhaps stale by this time

Some other historical research I did also said that Lammas festivals are the precursors to the county fair. This was a time when people would gather and trade. Farmers would bring their craps and artisans would bring their best items for sale this time of year as well.

While celebrating Lammas can certainly be celebrating wheat and bread. I personally see it as a feasting celebration. It is a time to gather with friends, enjoy all the abundance of summer (and this green good Earth) and perhaps celebrating our own human craftsmanship.

This Lammas, I hosted company from out of town. I did the Maker Fair (a DYI festival), ate too much and drank local mead. I hope you all had a fabulous Lammas. I hope you enjoyed good company, good food and the Earth's beauty this weekend.