Caer Australis - The Celtic Fire Feasts: Lughnasa

LUGHNASA is held on August Eve, and is the festival at the middle of the Celtic summer preceding the harvest.

The The History of Ireland (BOOK I-II), SECTION XII, 'Of the kings of the Tuatha Dé Danann here, and of the length of their sovereignty over Ireland'(1) tells us of the origin of this festival, namely

"Lúgh Lámhfada, son of Cian, son of Dianchéacht, son of Easar Breac, son of Néd, son of Iondaoi, son of Allaoi, held the kingdom of Ireland forty years. It is this Lúgh who appointed the Fair of Taillte at first as a yearly commemoration of Taillte, daughter of Madhmór, i.e. king of Spain, who was wife to Eochaidh, son of Earc, last king of the Fir Bolg, and who was wife after that to Eochaidh Garbh, son of Duach Dall, a chief of the Tuatha Dé Danann. It is by this woman Lúgh Lámhfada was fostered and trained till he was fit to bear arms; and it is as an honourable commemoration for her Lúgh instituted the games of the Fair of Taillte a fortnight before Lúghnasadh, and a fortnight after it, resembling the games called 'Olympiades': and it is from that memorial which Lúgh used to make Lúghnasadh is given (as name) to the first day (or) to the Calends of August, i.e. the násadh or commemoration of Lúgh, (on which is now the feast of St. Peter's chains). He fell by (the hand of) Mac Coll at Caondruim."

Lughnasa is the second of the four great Celtic fire feasts, starting with Beltaine, and the months following the festival see in the harvest and the onset of Autumn after September's equinox. The festival is best known from the Irish Tailtiu games held annually each August, and is also from Emain Macha, with its famous horse races, and it remained an important festival at Morvah in Cornwall (2). The festival was also held annually at Lugodunum, 'Lug's fortress', in Roman Gaul (3) - modern Lyon - and so important were these games that the festival was dedicated to the Emperor Augustus.

In the ancient Celtic calendar month RIVROS, there is an annotation of much interest, namely DEVOS LUG RIVRI. It appears on day 12 of years 1,2 and 4 (lost on year 3, and destroyed for year 5), and can be most easily seen on Marc Carlson's Coligny Calendar spreadsheet. Now, Riuros is the third month. (As is so often portrayed, Marc's calendar assumes a November beginning, and places Rivros in January-ish.) Caer Australis recognises that the calendar began at May, placing Riuros at July-ish, including early August: see the Celtic calendar area on this website to get full info.

The annotation Devos Lug Riuri can be translated as follows, making use of MacBain's Etymological Dictionary:
Devos - Gaullish dêvo means divine, and is the same word as Old Irish día, Welsh duw, Old Welsh duiu, *deiuo-s; Latin dîvus (for deiuos), deified one, deus; Greek dinos, divine.
Lug - Lugos in Gaul, Lugh in Ireland, Llew in Welsh
Riuri - Rí , *rigo-, is the word for king, royal (as in Ard Rí in Irish, Rhiannon in Welsh) + Ur, meaning fresh, new, Irish, Early Irish úr, Old Irish húrde, Welsh ir, fresh, green: *ûro-s, - thus RIVROS, Ri-ur-os, the month name 'New King'
The annotation thus resolves as Divine Lug New King. This certainly in a late July context could reveal an ancient timing for the festival of Lugh, for the calendar dates to the first century, and was in use for centuries before. Moreover, Lugh being the new king is consistent with his role in the Tuatha de Danaan in Irish myth, and of Llew in the Mabinogi of Math from Britain.

As a prelude to the harvest, the custom of preparing a toasted bannock is recorded from the Highlands (4): oats - not yet ready for harvest - are gathered and laid in the sun to dry; they are husked, winnowed, ground in a quern, and the flour kneaded into a bannock which is toasted over a fire and broken for consumption among the family gathered. In a classical blend of Celtic tradition and Christian belief, the bannock was called the Moilean Moire, and prayers made to Mary for her blessing. At the end of the harvest a common practice was to emphasis the final stalks cut, and with many variations, led to the creation of a 'corn doll' of plaited stalks, referred to as the Cailleach (Old Wife) or Wrach (Hag), or Carly, and kept in or around the home as a charm against the winter.

The deity presiding over this feast is Lugos, the bright heroic god skilled in craftsmanship known over the entire Celtic world. In Caesar's list of Celtic deities, he refers to the important Gaullish god 'Mercury' who was the inventor of all the arts. Lugh was known in Ireland by the epithet Iolhanach, "of the many skills", and Lleu Llaw Gyffes means "of the skilful hand" in Welsh. Iberian Lugo was also a craftsman and had a dedication inscribed to him by shoemakers. The craftsman Lugh has become diminished over time and through the influence of Christianity, becoming Lugh chronain - "stooping Lugh", which is known in anglicised form as 'leprechaun' (5). Lugh's name is celebrated across Celtic Europe in place names originally called 'Fortress of Lugos', Lugodurnum and now known as Lyon, Loudon and Leon in Gaul, as Gloucester and Carlisle in Britain, and as Leignitz in Silesia, and when referred to as 'The Fair One', Uinos, Find, Gwyn, he is celebrated in such places as Vienna (Uindobona).

Lugh also has the epithet Lamhfada - "of the Long Arm". It has been noted that at the time around the approach of August in the Northern Hemisphere occurs the heliacal rising of the bright star Sirius (6): its appearance above the horizon occurs just around the time when the sun rises, and the dawn sky gives way to daytime. It is noteworthy that the great constellation of Orion, recognisably human in form, is associated with Sirius: does the bright star complete a Celtic constellation of Lugh, with the silver star forming the hand of an unusually long arm?

In the Southern Hemisphere the passage of the seasons is offset by half a year to those of the north, and the harvest season associated with Lughnasa is met at the Eve of February. In August the Southern Lands enter the springtime months and the Fire Feast of August is best named there for the appropriate southern season, therefore Teine Earrach Deas, the 'Southern Spring Fire', while the Fire Feast of February is best named Teine Grian Deas, the 'Southern Sun Fire', the Fire of High Summer.

NOTES AND REFERENCES

(1) CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College, Cork - linked above.

(2) Ellis, P.B. A Brief History of the Celts (1998). Robinson, London; Moffatt, A. The Sea Kingdoms (2001). HarperCollins, London.

(3) Dillon, M. and Chadwick, N.K. The Celtic Realms, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London.

(4) Frazer, J. The Golden Bough (1922: 1993) Wordsworth, Ware, Hertfordshire.

(5) Ellis, P.B. A Brief History of the Celts (1998). Robinson, London; Joyce, P.W. Old Celtic Romances (1907: 2000). Wordsworth, Ware, Hertfordshire/The Folklore Society, London.

(6) Gaspani, A. (199-). http://www.brera.mi.astro.it/~gaspani/celtcab.txt