August 1st marks the pagan holiday, Lammas, also called Lughnasadh, in honor of the Celtic god Lugh. This is the day that celebrates the first harvest of the season and is a wheat festival in the Celtic traditions. If the first crop is good, it is a good omen for the coming harvesting months, as well as a healthy winter. In Ireland, it is still considered bad luck to harvest any crops before August. As a child, I remember visiting my great uncles' farm in Ohio in early August and watching them drive the harvesting combine to gather and shell the corn, which is the first crop that is harvested every year in the United States. In many Christian rural communities, August 1st is the day when the crops are blessed, asking God for a bountiful and financially successful harvest. On Lammas, which means "loaf mass," loaves of bread are placed on the altar to honor the first harvest of the year.
This Lughnasadh (pronounced "LOO-nus-ah"), I am going to start a new tradition of visiting the vegetable stand I drive by every day, as well as going to the Saturday Green Market in my town. It's important to know the origin of the food we eat, as well as to support local growers. In a world where it's so easy to feel disconnected, getting back to basics is important. Buying locally seems like a good start.
If we are to look to the Earth's cycle in the northern hemisphere, this time of year truly represents the beginning of autumn. Although it is still incredibly hot in most parts, people are beginning to reap the goods that the heat from summer has assisted in producing. It's a good time to have our own personal Thanksgiving to thank our ancestors for the wisdom of growing our own food and the Earth for her life-giving gifts. It is time to enjoy the often-cursed heat of summer and relish the positive aspects of the weather. Before long it will be too cold to jump into a swimming pool or lake, or enjoy the late hours that the sun gives us. Soon, all the crops will be picked and the field left to die, ending the year's cycle of fertility. At this time of year, I often feel as though I am holding on to the present as tightly as I can, especially now that I have a daughter entering school. I know that for the next 12 years, I will be lamenting the end of summer with her, knowing that each summer's end marks the end of some kind of youthful innocence.
At the same time, I look ahead at the excitement that the cold months hold (okay, I live in Florida, but I can pretend that 60 degrees Fahrenheit is cold, right?) -- kids going back to school, fall festivities, Halloween/Samhain, and the winter holidays that hold a promise of new memories being made with family and friends.
As we venture into the last days of summer, let's celebrate what we have and be thankful for it. It's the little things that help us feel harmonious and happy. Jump in for a swim, bake some bread, and eat your veggies. We'll be greeting the early dark and freezing nights before we know it!
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Kristie Vullo |
| About the author: |
| Kristie Vullo is a South Florida native and writes poetry, short story, and creative non-fiction that focus on women’s issues and spirituality. Currently, she is co-authoring a novel with her writing partner and long time friend. She has been part of the feminist movement for sixteen years and has studied reiki and various religious paths during her physical existence on earth. Believing that we are here to make a difference, she works at a vocational charter school that recovers young adults who have dropped out of high school and wish to obtain their GEDs and a better future. She lives in Boynton Beach, Florida with her husband, young daughter, and two cats |
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