Gŵyl Awst or Lughnasadh
Gŵyl Awst (meaning Festival of August) also known as or Lughnasadh, is basically the harvest festival, the 1st reaping so to speak. One of the fire/cross-quarter festivals, related to the seasons, evolved from traditional festival times linked to farming practices begun in western Europe thousands of years ago.
It is this time where fields of corn/grain are cut, a old story around this season is that John Barleycorn (also known as the Green Man), who laid with the Lady in the woods at Bealtane, has grown old, and now stands bent and bearded with a crooked cane. He looks to the Sun as he has changed from green to gold, and he knows that his time has come. His life will feed the people, and it is this sacrifice that we honour and is mourned with wreaths decorated with poppies or cornflowers.
Of course it is the time of merriment as we reap what we have sown and it sets the tone for the next festival which will be the Autumn Equinox that is the final harvest of this quarter. This festival marks the beginning of the noticeable descent of the Sun into the darkness of winter. From the connection between the Earth (female principle) and the Sun (male principle), the marriage of the Sky Father (Sun God) with the Earth Mother we celebrated at Bealtane, emerge the fruits of the first harvest of the year. It is also a time of tension, because the dark days of winter are coming nearer, and most of the harvest is not brought in and stored away yet.
The grain is cut, part of it goes into bread and nutrition, another part is stored away and used as seeds next spring, to create new life. Our thoughts are about sacrifice, transformation, death and rebirth.
It’s a time to begin to take stock of the year, to reflect and to give thanks, to learn, even through the tough times. Baking and enjoying bread is the big food of this festival and the special bread for the Welsh Druids is Bara Brith (speckled bread) and Welsh Cakes (like a flat scone) hot from the griddle. We also celebrate by donating (it used to be food) to others, so give to a cause/charity of your choosing.
And of course feasting is often celebrated by drinking, dancing and playing games.