What is Lammas? A Simple Introduction to the First Harvest

Lammas, also called Lughnasadh, is the festival of the first harvest. It’s a celebration of abundance, hard work, and gratitude.

In ancient times, Lammas marked the gathering of the first grains, especially wheat. People would bake bread using the first flour and offer it in thanks—for the harvest and the Earth’s generosity.

Today, Lammas is still celebrated by many spiritual and secular communities. It’s a time to pause, give thanks for what you’ve achieved, and honor the natural cycles. It is celebrated on August 1st in the Northern Hemisphere.

This posts tells you everything you need to known about celebrating Lammas.

This post contains affiliate links, so I get a commission if you make a purchase.

1. History and Significance of Lammas

Ancient Roots

Lammas originates from Celtic and pagan harvest traditions. The name “Loaf Mass” reflects a Christian adaptation where bread from the first grain was blessed.

Cultural Evolution

Over time, Lammas became a hybrid of religious, spiritual, and folk customs. Bread remains the central symbol, representing life, effort, and sustenance.

Themes of the Festival

• Gratitude for abundance
• Acknowledging effort and growth
• Preparing for seasonal transitions

2. Lammas Correspondences

Lammas is full of powerful symbols and practices that connect us to nature, the seasons, and each other. These correspondences can guide your altar setup, rituals, and celebration plans.

🔆 Symbols

These are the most common items linked to Lammas. Use them to decorate your space or include them in your rituals.

• Bread and loaves
• Wheat and corn
• Sunflowers
• Harvest tools like sickles
• Colors: gold, orange, red

💫 Themes

The deeper meanings behind Lammas help you focus your celebration.

• Gratitude and giving back
• Sharing with your community
• Preparing for the shift from summer to autumn

🔥 Traditional Practices

Simple customs that honour the harvest and the spirit of the season.

• Baking bread to give thanks
• Holding a harvest feast
• Crafting corn dollies from dried husks
• Lighting candles to welcome abundance and warmth

3. Lammas Altar Ideas

A Lammas altar helps you honour the harvest and welcome abundance. It can be as simple or detailed as you like.

🌾 What to Include

• Bread or wheat – symbols of the first harvest
• Corn dollies – traditional offerings of protection and fertility
• Candles – gold, orange, or red for energy and warmth
• Seasonal fruit and veg – like apples, squash, or berries
• Sunflowers or herbs – to invite vitality and healing
• Crystals – citrine, carnelian, amber, or tiger’s eye
• Oil blends – warm, spicy oils like cinnamon, clove, or rosemary
• Gratitude note or harvest spell – written intentions or blessings
• Small tools – a sickle, mini broom, or garden item to represent the work of harvest

Set your altar with care and intention. Light a candle, place your offerings, and say a few words of thanks. Keep the altar up as long as it feels right.

Check out the following posts:

• 👉 15 Sacred Symbols for Your Lammas Altar
• 👉 7 Lammas Crystals for your Altar
• 👉 13 Etsy Items for Your Lammas Altar
• 👉 7 Magical Oil Blends to Celebrate Lammas

4. Baking Bread for the Sabbat

Baking bread is one of the most traditional ways to celebrate Lammas. It honours the harvest and the work that brings food to the table.

Why Bread Matters

Bread is a sacred symbol of life, nourishment, and gratitude. At Lammas, baking it is an act of thanksgiving for the Earth’s gifts.

How to Celebrate

• Offer the first slice on your altar or to the Earth
• Use local flour, herbs, or honey
• Involve friends or family in the baking
• Shape loaves into suns, knots, or wheat sheaves

👉 Check out 5 magical Lammas bread recipes

6. Simple Rituals and Offerings

Lammas rituals don’t need to be complex. What matters is intention. These simple practices help you honour the harvest, reflect on growth, and give thanks.

🔥 Candle Ritual for Gratitude

• Use a gold, orange, or red candle
• Carve a word into it (e.g. “growth,” “thanks,” “abundance”)
• As it burns, say aloud what you’re thankful for
• Let it burn safely down or snuff it and relight daily until gone

🌾 Bread Offering

• Bake a small loaf or even a biscuit
• Place it on your altar, or bury it in the garden as a gift to the Earth
• Say: “I return what I have received. May the cycle continue.”

✍️ Written Intention or Harvest List

• Write what you’ve “harvested” this year—skills, habits, healing, progress
• Burn the paper in a fire-safe bowl or bury it under a tree
• Optional: write a second list for what you wish to “sow” next

🌻 Offering to Nature

• Leave apples, grain, or seasonal fruit under a tree or near running water
• Add a few wildflowers or herbs from your walk
• Say a simple thank you: “For all I’ve been given, I give back.”

🧂 Herbal Blessing or Oil Anointing

• Use rosemary, basil, or calendula oil
• Anoint your wrists or the bread you baked
• Say a short blessing: “May I carry strength, warmth, and wisdom into the season ahead.”

🪄 Daily Mini-Rituals (Optional Add-Ons)

• Light incense while reflecting on what you’ve grown
• Stir herbs into tea clockwise for abundance
• Touch a crystal (like citrine or carnelian) and speak a daily affirmation

7. Lammas Activities

Celebrate Lammas with simple, seasonal activities:

• Go on a nature walk and gather herbs or flowers
• Make corn dollies or wheat crafts
• Host a small harvest meal or picnic
• Journal your “harvests” from the past year
• Light a sunset candle and reflect on growth

Pick one or two that feel meaningful—you don’t need to do everything.

8. Lammas Traditions

• Climbing hills or mountains – a nod to old Lughnasadh rites held on high ground
• Holding games or contests – inspired by the ancient Tailteann Games in honour of Lugh’s foster mother
• Visiting sacred wells – to give thanks and make offerings for health and blessings
• Trading goods or crafts – echoing early seasonal markets held at harvest time

These customs reflect Lammas as both a spiritual and communal turning point.

9. Crystals for Lammas

Crystals used during Lammas reflect the energy of abundance, gratitude, and personal growth. Add them to your altar, carry them with you, or use them in rituals.

Best Crystals for Lammas:

• Citrine – Attracts abundance, joy, and confidence
• Carnelian – Boosts creativity, motivation, and life force
• Amber – Connects to sunlight, healing, and ancient wisdom
• Tiger’s Eye – Strengthens courage, grounding, and focus
• Red Jasper – Encourages endurance, stability, and balance
• Sunstone – Invokes joy, success, and solar energy
• Moss Agate – Supports growth, grounding, and connection to the Earth

Use one or more that resonate with your intentions. Cleanse your crystals before Lammas and charge them on your altar or in sunlight.

Check out 👉 7 Lammas Crystals That Attract Abundance

10. Lammas Oil Blend

Anointing oils are a powerful way to connect with Lammas energy. Use them to dress candles, bless tools, or apply to pulse points during rituals.

Base Oil

Sweet almond, jojoba, or olive oil (1 tablespoon)

Essential Oils (5–10 drops total)

• Cinnamon – for warmth, energy, and harvest fire
• Clove – for protection and abundance
• Orange – to invite joy and solar energy
• Rosemary – for clarity and renewal
• Patchouli – for grounding and manifesting

Optional: Add a small piece of amber resin, dried sunflower petal, or a tiny wheat grain.

How to Use

• Anoint your wrists, altar tools, or Lammas candles
• Rub into your hands before journaling or spellwork
• Add a few drops to your ritual bath or diffuser

Store in a dark glass bottle and label it. Use throughout Lammas season.

Check out 👉 7 Magical Oil Blends to Celebrate Lammas

10. Working with Deities at Lammas

Lammas is a time to honour harvest deities who represent growth, sacrifice, and abundance.

• Lugh – Celtic god of skills, harvest, and the sun
• Demeter and Ceres – goddesses of grain and fertility
• Tailtiu – Lugh’s foster mother, honoured for her sacrifice to clear the land

Offerings: fresh bread, local flowers, seasonal fruit, or honey. Light a candle and speak from the heart.

👉 Check out my guide on How to Work with Deities

12. Spellwork and Manifestation for the First Harvest

Lammas is ideal for spells focused on gratitude, abundance, and growth. Energy is high, and the sun’s power is still strong—perfect for charging and manifesting.

Best Practices:

• Gratitude Spells: Write a list of blessings. Burn it with herbs like basil or rosemary to release thanks into the universe.
• Abundance Rituals: Use coins, grain, or bread as symbols. Say a simple chant while holding them: “As I give thanks, I welcome more.”
• Manifestation Journaling: Reflect on what you’ve harvested and write intentions for what you want to grow next—skills, goals, relationships.
• Sun Charging: Leave tools, crystals, or altar items in the sun to infuse them with solar energy and clarity.

Tip: Focus on what you’ve built and what you’re ready to expand. Lammas is about momentum, not starting over.

13. Linking Lammas to the Wheel of the Year

Lammas marks the midpoint between the Summer Solstice (Litha) and the Autumn Equinox (Mabon). It’s a turning point—a time to celebrate abundance while preparing for the waning light. This seasonal shift reminds us to honour what we’ve grown and start letting go.

Read More Lammas Guides

Lammas is about honoring your journey, your growth, and the Earth’s gifts. Whether simple or elaborate, your celebration matters. If you enjoyed this guide, make sure to check out my other Lammas articles.

• 👉 Lammas Bread Recipes: Traditional Loaves for Lughnasadh
• 👉 15 Sacred Symbols for Your Lammas Altar
• 👉 13 Etsy Items for Your Lammas Altar
• 👉 7 Lammas Crystals for your Altar
• 👉 7 Magical Oil Blends to Celebrate Lammas
• 👉 Lammas Tarot Spreads
• 👉 23 DIY Outdoor Lammas Decorations
• 👉  Lammas Gods and Goddesses
• 👉  9 Lammas Flowers to Use on Your Altar