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.
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| 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.
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.
Our home is a summer camp for our grandkids, with raspberry picking and a wading pool, and lazy days of play. In the mornings we putter in the garden, collect the harvest, and play in the sand pit. On cooler summer days we venture out into the neighborhood for bike rides and park play, or if it's too hot, we lounge indoors with the heat pump on.
Agenda:
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. 
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.
