|
Once upon a Lammas Night When corn rigs are bonny, Beneath the Moon's unclouded light, I held awhile to Annie... |
Although in the heat of a Mid-western summer it might be difficult to
discern, the festival of Lammas (Aug 1st) marks the end of summer and
the beginning of fall. The days now grow visibly shorter and by the time we've
reached autumn's end (Oct 31st), we will have run the gamut of
temperature from the heat of August to the cold and (sometimes) snow
of November. And in the midst of it, a perfect Mid-western autumn.
The history of Lammas is as convoluted as all the rest of the old folk
holidays. It is of course a cross-quarter day, one of the four High Holidays
or Greater Sabbats of Witchcraft, occurring ¼ of a year after
Beltane. It's true astrological point is 15 degrees Leo, which occurs
at 1:18am CDT, Aug 6th this year (1988), but tradition has set August
1st as the day Lammas is typically celebrated. The celebration proper
would begin on sundown of the previous evening, our July 31st, since
the Celts reckon their days from sundown to sundown.
However, British Witches often refer to the astrological date of Aug 6th as
Old Lammas, and folklorists call it Lammas O.S. ('Old Style'). This
date has long been considered a 'power point' of the Zodiac, and is
symbolized by the Lion, one of the 'tetramorph' figures found on the
Tarot cards, the World and the Wheel of Fortune (the other three
figures being the Bull, the Eagle, and the Spirit). Astrologers know
these four figures as the symbols of the four 'fixed' signs of the
Zodiac, and these naturally align with the four Great Sabbats of
Witchcraft. Christians have adopted the same iconography to represent
the four gospel-writers.
'Lammas' was the medieval Christian name for the holiday and it means
'loaf-mass', for this was the day on which loaves of bread were baked
from the first grain harvest and laid on the church altars as
offerings. It was a day representative of 'first fruits' and early harvest.
In Irish Gaelic,the feast was referred to as 'Lugnasadh', a feast to
commemorate the funeral games of the Irish sun-god Lugh. However,
there is some confusion on this point. Although at first glance, it
may seem that we are celebrating the death of the Lugh, the god of
light does not really die (mythically) until the autumnal equinox.
And indeed, if we read the Irish myths closer, we discover that it is
not Lugh's death that is being celebrated, but the funeral games
which Lugh hosted to commemorate the death of his foster-mother,
Taillte. That is why the Lugnasadh celebrations in Ireland are often
called the 'Tailltean Games'.
|
The time went by with careless heed Between the late and early, With small persuasion she agreed< To see me through the barley... |
One common feature of the Games were the 'Tailltean marriages, a rather
informal marriage that lasted for only 'a year and a day' or until
next Lammas. At that time, the couple could decide to continue the
arrangement if it pleased them, or to stand back to back and walk
away from one another, thus bringing the Tailltean marriage to a
formal close. Such trial marriages (obviously related to the Wiccan
'Handfasting') were quite common even into the 1500's, although it
was something one 'didn't bother the parish priest about'. Indeed,
such ceremonies were usually solemnized by a poet, bard, or shanachie
(or, it may be guessed, by a priest or priestess of the Old Religion).
Lammastide was also the traditional time of year for craft festivals. The
medieval guilds would create elaborate displays of their wares,
decorating their shops and themselves in bright colors and ribbons,
marching in parades, and performing strange, ceremonial plays and
dances for the entranced onlookers. The atmosphere must have been
quite similar to our modern-day Renaissance Festivals, such as the
one celebrated in near-by Bonner Springs, Kansas, each fall.
A ceremonial highlight of such festivals was the 'Catherine wheel'.
Although the Roman Church moved St. Catherine's feast day all around
the calender with bewildering frequency, it's most popular date was
Lammas. (They also kept trying to expel this much-loved saint from
the ranks of the blessed because she was mythical rather than
historical, and because her worship gave rise to the heretical sect
known as the Cathari.) At any rate, a large wagon wheel was taken to
the top of a near-by hill, covered with tar, set aflame, and
ceremoniously rolled down the hill. Some mythologists see in this
ritual the remnants of a Pagan rite symbolizing the end of summer,
the flaming disk representing the sun-god in his decline. And just as
the sun king has now reached the autumn of his years, his rival or
dark self has just reached puberty.
Many commentators have bewailed the fact that traditional Gardnerian and
Alexandrian Books of Shadows say very little about the holiday of
Lammas, stating only that poles should be ridden and a circle dance
performed. This seems strange, for Lammas is a holiday of rich mythic
and cultural associations, providing endless resources for liturgical
celebration.
|
Corn rigs and barley rigs, Corn rigs are bonny! I'll not forget that happy night Among the rigs with Annie! |
[Verse quotations by Robert Burns, as handed down through several Books of Shadows.]