Teltaine or Lammas

Teltaine, also called Lammas, or Lughnasad (loo-na-sa), is the Celtic cross-quarter day celebrated from sunset August 1 until sunset August 2. It’s a hot, lazy, delicious time of the year; the air is still, and the force of the sun is strong. 

The focus today is on harvest, sacrifice, and thanksgiving; it’s customary to share the products of the first grains- corn, bread and ale. In ancient tradition, the grains of the Earth are the body of the God, sacrificed at the harvest, ground to flour, baked into bread and then consumed to keep the circle of life turning.

This is a time to give thanks and honor to powerful gods and goddesses of the grain harvest- Adonis, Tamuz, Demeter, Ceres, Freyja, Odin, and Lugh (pronounced Loo). They are in their prime now, sometimes generous, sometimes difficult, but always aware that their time is waning and they will soon die. This is the sacrifice that we give thanks for today.

Agenda Today:
1. Altar:

Add dried corn, red and yellow flowers, grains, fruits, vegetables, herbs.

2. Make a corn husk doll:

Each year I make a new corn husk doll, from fresh husks, and put her on the altar to bring luck and plenty throughout the cold half of the year. In six months, at the cross-quarter day of Imbalc, I will burn this corn doll.

Supplies: Corn husks, towels, string, scissors, fabric, yarn

1. Pick out 8 nice pieces of husk, and dip them in a tub of warm water to make them pliable. Lay them out on a towel.

First tie- before the head is padded.

2. Notice that the husks naturally curve, like they did around the corn. Make two stacks of 4 pieces--

• with the narrow ends together 
• curving in the same direction
• with the 2 biggest pieces on the bottom of each stack

3. Next, put the two stacks together at the narrow ends, with the two biggest pieces back-to-back on the inside, and tie tightly 2-inches from the top with a small piece of string.

4. Wrap the top part (above the string) with small pieces of husk to pad the head... 

2nd tie- after the husks are folded over 
the padded head.

...then fold the two sections of husks over it on each side. Make the face smooth and pretty, and tie again, at the neck.

5. Dip a few long, thin pieces of husk in water, then roll and tie them together to make the arms. Insert under neck.

6. Pad the chest with husks and tie at the waist with string, raffia, or yarn.







7. Set aside to dry, then make clothes with scraps of cloth.

3. Make bread:

Make bread: Biscuits, muffins, corn bread, a gingerbread man, or popcorn... Sometimes the first loaf is made into the shape of a man to represent the God.