I think we should bring back Lughnasa in earnest. A celebration of the grain harvest, in gratitude to the god who wrestled it free from the forces that would keep humans from having it, seems a worthwhile way to spend a weekend. Summer needs another holiday and this is a good one. A summertime Thanksgiving celebration of a successful growing season and harvest. It would break up the long, hot weeks that follow Independence Day and would a nice way to ease into fall. Not to mention, gratitude for the food we eat. Always a good idea.
According to Patricia Monaghan, in her encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology, the legend is that Lugh’s mother, Tialtiu, died of exhaustion from clearing the land of Ireland for agriculture. In remembrance and celebration of her, Lugh started a festival. There was the ritual harvest of the first corn, athletic competitions that were similar to the Olympics, and feasting that included a roasted bull. This lasted a few days during which people would get married, or dissolve their marriages. New laws were enacted. Disputes were settled. There was storytelling, music, dancing, reenactments of the legend of Lugh defeating Balor, the god of famine and blight. Lugh’s triumph meant food for the coming winter and that’s the difference between life and death. Definitely worth celebrating.
In the modern, western world we don’t really have society-wide celebrations like this. We have reduced all the old rituals, holidays, and their celebrations, to one day each. I think we’re missing out. Imagine the whole country taking a three day weekend to celebrate in gratitude the yearly miracle of the harvest. It would be a good time.