#Bilberry Sunday

[ceo-draiochta]

Lughnasadh in the Modern Day

The ancient festival of Lúnasa is one of the 4 celtic fire festivals celebrated on the turn of the seasons. The other 3 festivals all have very clear christian reinterpretations. Those being All Hallows Eve, St Brigids day and May day. However Lúnasa also has a number of modern day christian holidays associated with it in much the same way.

(Linked sources in brackets)

Names

The modern festival goes by many names: Domnach Lúnasa, Lá Lúnasa, Domnach Crom Dubh, Bilberry Sunday and most commonly as either Reek Sunday or Garland Sunday. (1)(2)

Hill Climbing & Holy Wells

This is a day where the mountain of Croagh Patrick is visited, the pilgrimage consists of climbing the mountain while taking stops at certain stone cairns, where one walks in circles around them a set number of times while reciting specific prayers. There are 3 major sections where this is done(3). This is still observed today(4). It is celebrated on the last Sunday of July.

(Croagh Patrick)

This, while observed throughout the country, is not the only such celebration. Many towns climb their respective hills on this day such as those around Keash Hill in Sligo(2)(5)(11), Slive Donard in Down(6), and Máméan in Galway (7). Holy wells are also visited on this day such as in Cappagh, Galway(8), Ballyfa, Galway(9) and Ballyhaunis, Mayo (12). In some cases a procession from the Holy Well to the hill takes place (2)(7)(11)

(Máméan)

An interesting example of this was the Tullaghan Hill holy well in county Sligo, where the Holy Well was on a hill specifically the Ox mountains. This specific well used to be visited on Garland Sunday but is no longer as the festival that followed this visit evoked too much "secular fun" (10).

Festivals

Fairs and celebrations seem to be a core feature of this Lúnasa Tradition, with the aforementioned Tullaghan Hill fair, The Old Fair Day in Tubbercurry, county Sligo (13) and Fair Day in Kenmare, Kerry(14). These are usually celebrated in the second week on August, i.e. a week or two after the religious excursion.

The Puck Fair is festival in Killorglin, county Kerry. It is celebrated in the second week of August and involves crowning a specific goat "king" and parading them around while a large fair takes place(15).

(Puck Fair)

Mythology

In the dinseanchas entry for Nás, the death and burial of two of the wives of Lugh are described, with Bui having been buried on the Hill of Cnogba. Where it is said that "The hosts of the pure Gaels came to bewail the women". Suggesting that there was a precession to the Hill she was buried. There was then said to be mass mourning which grew into a great assembly. These events were said to have contributed to the beginning of the festival of Taltiu, which is to say Lúnasa. (16)

Pagan Connection

The pagan connection is quite clear to see, with Holy wells long being sites of pre-Christian worship, it is little coincidence that they are visited around the time of Lúnasa. The climbing of a hill seems to be widely practiced over the country and directly connects to the Dinseanchas story of the beginning of the Lúnasa festival in where a hill was climbed to reach a grave for mourning. The fact that Keash Hil (Ceis Corran) and Croagh Patrick are both home to ancient megalithic cairns, which are commonly connected with the Otherworld is also an interesting point.

Lúnasa being an Aonach, a funeral festival for the foster mother of Lugh, Tailtiu does tie directly into the occurrence of festivals around this time.

Practices to Adopt

It seems clear now that visiting watery sites such as wells and climbing hills to worship, as well as large scale festivals and merriment are a key part of how Lúnasa has continued to be celebrated and should be incorporated into a modern Irish pagan practice.

[vavuska]

Every European kid asking why it's called “Palms Sunday” If we bless everything except real palms:

Palm Sunday is a Christian holiday. As you might have guessed from the name, it’s on a Sunday — always the Sunday before Easter. That’s because it’s meant to commemorate Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, a week before Easter Sunday.

However, plams doesn't grow up everywhere, so each Christian country adopted their own version.

In the memes I summarize some of the European traditions I know:

North Italy, Slovenia and Croatia: small olive branches are blessed and distributed to the faithfuls at Churches. In Slovenia there are also “butarica”, that is traditionally a bundle of greenery, flowers or colored wood shavings. In Ljubljana, they are made of colored wood shavings, similar to the Polish tradion illustrated below

South Italy: interweaving palm leaves

Germany, Austria, Finland and Hungary: pussy willow or catkin branches

Bulgaria: Willow twigs, something weaved into crowns with other flowers

Poland: the faithful bring to churches their own “palms” generally made from willow branches decorated with evergreen plants colorful and vibrant crepe paper flowers and green bilberry or juniper bushes affixed to the top of dried flowers and colorful dyed grasses.

Source: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, 2007, dir. by Gore Verbinski

[mirjam-writes]

My AO3 Wrapped 2022

I'm a bit late with this, but here we go.

Stories: 15 (2021: 6)

Kudos: 1,248 (2021: 1,434)

Comment Threads: 289 (2021: 115)

Bookmarks: 240 (2021: 336)

Subscriptions: 60 (2021: 33)

Word Count: 123,831 (2021: 58,673)

Hits: 7,863 (2021: 10,028)

My most used tags:

Established Relationship, Alternate Universe - Human, First Kiss, Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), South Downs Cottage (Good Omens).

This is funny because some years ago I didn't even read Established Relationship fics, and now? My favourite tag I write, but I also read them a lot. Aziraphale and Crowley made an existing relationship interesting, when usually that trope is sprinkled with often unnecessary drama.

What did I write?

I wrote 15 stories. 12 of them were part of zines, or other fandom events, and three were "just" for me. Fics just for me

I posted two parts of Be Still my Soul trilogy. This is my big project and baby, an AU set in Finnish history and civil war. It has also it's own blog, @be-still-my-soul-fanfic where I have written thousands and thousands of words about historical extra notes. The third part will be posted this year.

My first story from the last year was also Finland-themed: Be My Forever is canon compliant story where Aziraphale and Crowley visit a special place Finland. It's soft and sweet!

These three weren't my only Finland themed stories, since also one of my Zine stories (Purple) has a reference to Finland. Oops.

Zines

Last year I set up a goal to be accepted in one zine, and I got into two! I Like Pears (@ilikepearszine) and Our Side: Queer Enough (@oursidezines). The first one was about appreciating foods, and has recipes too! My entry was Purple, and it will teach you the difference between Blueberries and Bilberries. For Queer Enough, I wrote Assumption Is The Mother Of All Fuck-ups, and it's about Anathema struggling with her invisible queerness, as she's in a straight-passing relationship. It was a very personal piece for me.

Fandom Tumps Hate auction

I wrote two fics for FTH auction last year! The prompts I got from the bidders were pretty similar, a getting together AU story in a setting I know well. Two very different stories were born!

!False (It's Funny Because I Know It's true) is an AU about a software company. This story was incredibly fun to write (and I outlined it with my husband) and based on stats it has been the most well liked of all of my stories this year. One of my best ever, actually. It's rated E.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love is an AU about LARP players, and the feelings you catch in-character. This was very ambitious topic, with all the feelings in- and out of character mixing up. I hope I could make it justice! It is very soft and sweet, and rated T.

PS. I'm on that auction again this year, offering one story!

Round Robin

I participated @do-it-with-style-events Discord Server's Round Robin event. It was a really fun exercise where groups of four people wrote four stories in sections: everyone got to start a story, and all the others took turns continuing it with 500-700 words. We weren't allowed to discuss where the story should go, so it was a surprise for all of us. We wrote three lovely stories which have now all been posted: More Than Words (E), Only Sunday Footy (E), Eros (E), Rebels (T). Thank you @elfontheshelves @dashicra and @ashfae for the lovely collaboration!

Guess The Author

I participated Soft Omens Snuggle House server's Guess The Author events four times (it happens monthly). All of my entries were about 500 words, G-rated humorous established relationship shenanigans. And yet people rarely guessed me right! These stories were Gravity (some swordplay), Staging It (planning a heist), Ghost Walk (halloween story) and Christmas Traditions (exactly what it says on the tin) .

How was the year?

I think I improved a lot during the year. If you read Be My Forever and compare it to The Crazy Thing Called Love, or !False (It's Funny Because I Know It's true), I think my English has gotten smoother and flow better.

I also wrote a lot more than I expected, and interacted with the fandom a lot. I think It was a good year. For the next one I imagine I'll finish Be Still, write something kinkier, and at least one rare pair story. And something about S2 when that arrives! And one FTH entry as well.

[nebris]

Lughnasadh, Lughnasa or Lúnasa (/ˈluːnəsə/ LOO-nə-sə, Irish: [ˈl̪ˠuːnˠəsˠə]) is an Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season, and an official holiday in Ireland. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. In Modern Irish it is called Lúnasa, in Scottish Gaelic: Lùnastal, and in Manx: Luanistyn. Traditionally it is held on 1 August, or about halfway between the summer solstice and autumn equinox. In recent centuries some of the celebrations have been shifted to the Sunday nearest this date.

Lughnasadh is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with Samhain, Imbolc and Beltane. It corresponds to other European harvest festivals such as the Welsh Gŵyl Awst and the English Lammas. Lughnasadh is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature and has pagan origins. The festival itself is named after the god Lugh.

It inspired great gatherings that included religious ceremonies, ritual athletic contests (most notably the Tailteann Games), feasting, matchmaking, and trading. Lughnasadh occurred during a very poor time of the year for the farming community when the old crops were done and the new ones not yet ready for harvest.[1] Traditionally there were also visits to holy wells. According to folklorist Máire MacNeill, evidence shows that the religious rites included an offering of the First Fruits, a feast of the new food and of bilberries, the sacrifice of a bull, and a ritual dance-play in which Lugh seizes the harvest for mankind and defeats the powers of blight. Many of the activities would have taken place on top of hills and mountains.

Lughnasadh customs persisted widely until the 20th century, with the event being variously named 'Garland Sunday', 'Bilberry Sunday', 'Mountain Sunday' and 'Crom Dubh Sunday'. The custom of climbing hills and mountains at Lughnasadh has survived in some areas, although it has been re-cast as a Christian pilgrimage. The best known is the 'Reek Sunday' pilgrimage to the top of Croagh Patrick on the last Sunday in July. A number of fairs are also believed to be survivals of Lughnasadh, for example, the Puck Fair.

Since the late 20th century, Celtic neopagans have observed Lughnasadh, or something based on it, as a religious holiday. In some places, elements of the festival have been revived as a cultural event.

[hepdenerose]

Mid-World (Buttress to Midgehole)

A mid-April Sunday, we wandered aimlessly up The Buttress, awash with spring greenery. The ineffectual ‘keep out’ string no longer in place, we tramped the overgrown graveyard, guessing the location of Cross Lanes Chapel. Dusky cherry and ivory laurel blossom originated in well-kept gardens and hung heavy over Lee Wood Road. On Bobby Lane, bilberry bushes laden with scarlet globules, peppered the…

[downtoearthmarkets]

Since the discovery of Blue Zones–areas of the world where people tend to enjoy longer lives and lower rates of chronic disease–there’s been lots of coverage of the diets and lifestyles followed in these regions. While the Mediterranean diet remains the gold standard amongst nutritionists, there are health benefits associated with many ancient foodways. One common thread running through all these diets is an emphasis on plants, legumes, whole grains, wild-caught fish, pastured eggs and other locally sourced foods you can find every Sunday in the farmers market. Here are some of the traditional diets that have garnered attention and gained popularity recently and how to incorporate them into your weekly Down to Earth Markets food shop. The Atlantic Diet A close cousin to the Mediterranean diet, the Atlantic diet is based on the eating habits of people in northwestern Spain and northern Portugal. Because seafood is plentiful in this coastal region, a variety of simple, unprocessed fish and shellfish feature heavily in the diet. The population’s Celtic origins have also brought potatoes, bread and milk to the diet’s forefront. Vegetables, fruit, legumes, honey, nuts, eggs and olive oil are also regularly consumed, while red meat and dairy are enjoyed in smaller amounts. Both the Atlantic and Mediterranean diet emphasize seasonal, local, fresh, and minimally processed foods, which make them appealing from a health standpoint and sustainability perspective. While there are similarities between the two, the cooking techniques of the Atlantic diet are distinct from the Mediterranean diet in that they utilize more steaming, boiling, baking, grilling and stewing than frying, which better preserves the nutritional composition of foods. To leverage the benefits of this diet, try this Galician-style fish recipe using ingredients sourced from the farmers market:

Hake or other flaky, white fish from American Pride Seafood, cut into thick slices

3 large Great Joy Family Farm potatoes, peeled and cut into uneven pieces

1 white Sun Sprout Farm onion, sliced

6 cloves Jersey Farm Produce garlic, sliced

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

2 bay leaves

Coarse salt

The Japanese Diet Japanese people enjoy some of the world’s highest life expectancies, especially in the Okinawa Prefecture, which has been identified as one of the five blue zones. One of the main principles applied to food in the Japanese culture is called “hara hachi bu” which means to stop eating when you are 80% full. This is typically achieved by consuming a few small meals per day.

The Japanese diet avoids added sugar, refined fats and processed foods. It is rich in cooked and raw fish, soy products, steamed rice, fermented foods, cooked and pickled vegetables, and smoked foods. A traditional Japanese meal also incorporates locally sourced ingredients. Try a taste of the Japanese diet with this stir fry featuring Great Joy Family Farm's New York state grown rice, handmade tofu and a medley of their fresh veggies.

The Nordic Diet The Nordic diet is one that I’m quite familiar with having enjoyed two trips to Finland in the past year. This diet is consumed across Scandinavia and is associated with a number of health benefits including improved heart health and lower weight. Like the Atlantic diet, traditional Nordic cuisine features twice as much fiber and seafood as the standard Western diet and places emphasis on consumption of local and seasonal foods.

Nordic berries such as lingonberries, cloudberries and bilberries proliferate in the deep forests and rugged terrain of these northern countries and are preserved for consumption throughout the year. Mushrooms thrive on the damp floor of forests and hundreds of varieties are found on Nordic menus, although foragers must compete with reindeer who love to indulge in sprouting fungi during the summer and fall. Root vegetables such as beets, turnips and carrots are year-round staples and are often served pickled alongside herring and wild game. Whole grains such as rye, barley and oats are also a big part of Nordic cuisine and appear in a variety of preparations.

Of course, every street corner in Nordic cities has a farmers market, even during the depths of the Arctic winter! We were able to visit the same farmers market on Helsinki’s harbor front in both late August and frozen February, although the wild berry and mushroom vendors had packed up shop and the winter market featured mostly fish, craft and hot food vendors.

You can easily replicate this traditional Finnish reindeer stew called Poronkäristys with ingredients from the farmers market all year round:

2-3 lbs boneless Great Joy Family Farm beef steak or Roaming Acres bison steak (round, sirloin, or chuck)

2 tbsp Maplebrook Farm butter

1 Sun Sprout Farm yellow onion, sliced

2 clovesJersey Farm Produce garlic

Sliced Garden of Eve Organic Farm chives for garnish

Peck's of Maine Wicked Good Wild Blueberry fruit spread

Creamy mashed Great Joy Family Farm potatoes

Sliced Dr. Pickle dill pickles

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp ground allspice

As the season progresses and more spring produce floods into the farmers market, it will be easy to embrace these and other plant-forward, health-promoting diets from across the globe. We hope you enjoy experimenting with some different cuisine ideas and incorporating international themes and flavors into your market food shopping this weekend.

[creativeardagh]

Brí Leith, Ardagh Mountain.

Just before Christmas an old walkway on Brí Leith, Ardagh Mountain, Longford was resurfaced to the delight of locals and visitors alike and thanks to County Longford Tourism and the Town and Villages Scheme 2017. This has been a vision shared among many since the return of the Bilberry Sunday Walk in 2012 and is part of a bigger vision to continue a driving, cycling, hiking trail as far as Corlea Trackway which will join up with the Canal Walk from Kenagh. It's great to see this small part near completion and we look forward to the eventual completion of the rest of the Midir and Etain Trail. We could write a book about the importance of "The Mountain" as it is affectionately known and maybe we will but for now here is a little bit of information to wet the appetite:

The Trail will be called the Midir and Etain Trail because of the connection between Ardagh, The Corlea Trackway and this wonderful local legend. In the legend Brí Leith is where the Síd Mound of Midir is located and the Trackway in Corlea was the result of a forfeit he had to perform for the High King Eochaid after losing a game of Fidchell to him.

Brí Leith was named by Midir in memory of his daughter Brí and her lover Leith, it is also called Sliabh Calraighe or Ardagh Mountain which has sent many a person astray when they enter the flat midland county of Longford looking for a mountain.

Every last Sunday in July bigger and bigger numbers join us, around 11am, on a leisurely walk up Brí Leith to remember the tradition of Bilberry Sunday. The first walk came about in 2012 with Brendan Farrell of Ardagh Village Landscapes leading us after a discussion between us and Brendan on the ancient tradition of collecting Bilberries on Brí Leith. The High King of Ireland had the rights to the warm fruits of the mountain and they were collected on the Sunday before Lunasa so that he had them at his feast in Tara. The tradition of collecting this superfood continued well into the 1960s but the Bilberries retreated as the trees grew. We have seen, eaten and collected a few on our walks but the annual adventure is more about reminding us of our heritage and enjoying an interesting talk with tea and scones afterwards in Ardagh Heritage and Creativity Centre. In the past we have had a Diviner, Poets and a Forager chat to us on the walk and on return. Hopefully more Bilberries will be replanted in the future and it is wonderful to have the walk more accessible now than it was. Visions of people being carried over mucky, boggy puddles and wanderering visitors will always remain fondly with us. Now we have a path and the plans for this year are even greater so watch this space.

The walk on Brí Leith is well worth a visit. It once was only accessible in fair and dry weather but now you can visit at any time of the year. The view is lovely, the flora is beautiful and what is most fascinating perhaps are the old ruins that remind us of the many cottages that were on this once heavily populated hill and imagining their stories. There are also the many, many, large conglomerate stones that can be found and have been left along the path to tastefully remind us that even this far inland, in the heart of Ireland, we too used to be under the Sea.

" Bri Leith, now Sliabh Calraighe, S. Golry, W. of Ardagh, Longford, the Sídh of Midir Mór- ghlonnach, mac Indae, m. Echtach, m. Etarlam."

[dowrabeesmith]

Weekly Poem - Lúnasa Harvest

Weekly Poem - Lúnasa Harvest in which you have a poem, a video of me reciting two Lúnasa poems and a bonus haiku. #Lunasa #haiku #poem #video

If you were paying attention then you may have noticed that I missed posting a new poem last Tuesday. What with the blistering heat finally abating there was enough energy to actually do some garden harvesting and outdoor work without melting. Lúnasa is the Celtic festival that begins on 31st July. We have had a bank holiday weekend just as we do at Samhain. Lúnasa is the Irish name for the month…

[wildwood-faun]

unexpected late harvest

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Sunday 18 August 1839

4

10 ¾

fine morning F60 ¼° at 4 ¼ am barley oats peas etc. niceish open country about Sollenbrun [Sollebrunn]  – good small as usual beds A- poorlish – paid 4/12 rigs = 2.40.0. Banco – enough for our boiled milk and 6 eggs and butter and the little bit of brown bread ate (the tea and sugar our own) – a few houses scattered about near the Station and afterwards – Bäreberg a little hamlet 1 ¾ m. at 6 ¾ = 1 mile per hour – still fine but clouds lowering – bare wide-extended sterile plain country heather moor with patches of corn to the little scattered village of Bäreberg neat little whitewashed church a little before coming to the station – could not sleep there I think – the people going to church – all the men by themselves and all the women ditto in little companies – very neatly and well clothed – 25 minutes here (at B-) we had come faster than William expected – the horses not arrived – off at 9 21/.. – A- and I had breakfasted (had a little of Mrs. Todd cold rice pudding at 8 ½) – wrote out yesterday afternoon after leaving B- at 9 21/.. then slept a little then wrote thus far till now 10 50/.. and we just a fir forest – Scotch and spruce but much Scotch – a relief after the poor uninteresting country this morning – we had a little at starting but not [?] – the clouds threaten more

off at 5 5/..

2 four wheeled and 2 wheel carriages besides our own off before 5

2 forest for 10 minutes

August Sunday 18 rain – common juniper cranberries and bilberries and heather grow everywhere in the forests and on the commons – at 2 little bit of forest – at 12 20/.. Lidköping on the Wenner [Vänern] lake – nice little wooden town with large grande Place, in the style of Wennersberg but not so large? – nice view of the lake as we cross the grande Place green with grass – then a wood bridge over good river then lesser square and goodish street to the gate (common square posts) out of the town – had entered by another such gate – nice neat little town – neat good (stone?) whitewashed church the people well dressed – some gentlemen walking about – fine broad expanse of lake, but its boundaries as far as we can see sparingly wooded in front of us – better behind us – and no where bold – hill range gently sloping to the waters edge in front (left) oats green and rye in stook, close together – better farming or better soil or but just about the town than since close to Götheborg [Gothenburg] – the lake calm but looks muddyish hereabouts as if shallow and lying on sand – our road now at 12 40/.. (10 minutes from the town) very sandy (red sandy) – and enter a little forest Scotch fir we had also a little bit before entering the town – at 1 5/.. out of the fir forest and again upon the lake and cross another little stream – here Epilobium (Contamine) a weed among the oats as in fact we have seen it before in Sweden – now birch wood and firs (forest) again and sandy but very fair road – the roads all along very fair – A- and I had Deventer gingerbread and enjoyed it till 1 ½ then emerge again up the fine sea-like lake – but its scenery must be tame – the day finer now – [fresher] drier air over this juniper common a long reach of the lake and Lidköping just distinguishable – Cållängen [Kållängen] at 2 7/.. good station – 2 or 3 carriages – 2 ladies?

SH:7/ML/TR/12/0030

 August Sunday 18 getting some boiled milk? in soup plates – all looked well – a house? and 2 or 3 cottages and large farm buildings close to the station house – could sleep there very well – but nothing (said William) to be had but bread and cheese – the horses not arrived – had to wait till off again at 2 43/.. – at 2 50/.. pass thro’ picturesque little village – neat good stone built church – this and another larger church and village in sight at Cållängen [Kållängen] – the large church perhaps an English ¼ or ½ mile distant – several [?] cottages scattered about here , in little groups – the clouds still very threatening but a little sun now at 3pm – ripe oats uncut and lime set up in little sheaves – much cattle red and horses pasting on the common more cleared and better pasture than usual – the corn etc. in fenced off patches – the cattle generally a reddish fawn-colour – little and slim but good – went into the cowhouse and stable at C- horses fed out of deep troughs – no racks – eat their hay out of troughs at the door of the station – cow has nor racks nor anything – must surely feed out of moveable tubs – floors boarded – horses part only by a double rail but top tail as high as the horses – cows each stale at 3 8/.. bit of fir forest chiefly Scotch and then moor heathy and sweet gale etc. only for one cow parted by a few boards the height of the cows’ head at her head and sloping down to 1/3 of that at the thick boards tail – let into one another no other visible support at the bottom end – pigs kept warm in winter – the styes opening into boarded huts or as it were vestibules! at 3 1/3 on the heathery sweet gate, juniper, bilberry moor Kinnekulle (pronounced Chinnahcullah)fine – roundish long balked wood hill full in view about a mile off (right) – there may be a fine view of the lake

August 18 and as they of several towns  but what else can there be? sheep here – the cottages hereabouts very small and low, mere wood huts – the [strong] thatch covered with peaty sods – very poor and picturesque – our road still very sandy –

Kinnekulle reminds me of mowcop [Mow cop] near Lawton but is not near so fine –

Enebacken  at 4 5/.. neat good wood house and a cottage or 2 the village at a little distance – prettyish on starting from here – could sleep here well I should think – still sandy road – Kinnekulla the summit of a picturesque line of hill – looks well and nearer  from the top of the rising ground just beyond our Enebacken station – and soon enter young forest chiefly Scotch again – pretty stage from Enebacken – forest and pretty with big granite boulders moor young fir wood – at 5 ¾ water (left) and en face a little [reach] of the lake – nice drive all the way from Lidköping, but pretty from E- several small hamlets and villages scattered all along – at 5 10/.. long, straggling, unpainted picturesque wooden (tiled, straw thatched or shingled) village of Bjorsätter [Björsäters] good whitewashed brick or stone church – some better larger red houses at the station (in the village) at 5 55/.. – might perhaps sleep here à la rigueur? little 2 story houses door and 5 windows to the street – a tall maypole just before us lower down the street – off again at 6 5/.. nice foresty pretty enough drive till 7 8/.. fine sunset over the lake and cross two good wooden bridges into the very neat nice little town of Mariestadt beautifully situated – on a little bay of the lake – very nice good little right angle streeted town – the western horizon quite red – [gilding pin] a clay of the handsome looking whitewashed church and topping the tops of the fir forest on the east side the lake (in front of us) with a sight autumnal brown – singular effect – at some distance ½ the height of the trees [?] – this colours the gradually wore itself out as we neared and forest – enter it at 7 20/.. – chiefly Scotch fir – arrived at Hasslerör at 8 – 2 rooms – comfortable

SH:7/ML/TR/12/0031

August Sunday 18 Boiled milk and 4 boiled eggs and butter – had our own bread and preserved lemon and Tods’ rice cake – good supper – and over at 8 50/.. – then had Grotza and long motion Reading handbook on Sweden – fine day – F64 ¼° at 9 ½ pm

[culturecalypsosblog]

Today's blog is on the pagan holiday Lughnasadh or Lammas 🌾☀🍃🍂🍀🦋

Lughnasadh

Language:

Lughnasadh or Lughnasa (/ˈluːnəsə/ LOO-nə-sə, Irish: [ˈl̪ˠuːnˠəsˠə]) is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. In Modern Irish it is called Lúnasa, in Scottish Gaelic: Lùnastal, and in Manx: Luanistyn. Traditionally it is held on 1 August, or about halfway between the summer solstice and autumn equinox. In recent centuries some of the celebrations have been shifted to the Sunday nearest this date.

LughnasadhAlso calledLúnasa (Modern Irish)

Lùnastal (Scottish Gaelic)

Luanistyn (Manx Gaelic)Observed byHistorically: Gaels

Today: Irish people, Scottish people, Manx people, Celtic neopagans, WiccansTypeCultural,

Pagan (Celtic polytheism, Celtic Neopaganism)SignificanceBeginning of the harvest seasonCelebrationsOffering of First Fruits, feasting, handfasting, fairs, athletic AugustRelated toCalan Awst, Lammas

Lughnasadh is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with Samhain, Imbolc and Beltane. It corresponds to other European harvest festivals such as the Welsh Gŵyl Awst and the English Lammas.

Lughnasadh is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature and has pagan origins. The festival itself is named after the god Lugh. It inspired great gatherings that included religious ceremonies, ritual athletic contests (most notably the Tailteann Games), feasting, matchmaking, and trading. Traditionally there were also visits to holy wells. According to folklorist Máire MacNeill, evidence shows that the religious rites included an offering of the 'First Fruits', a feast of the new food and of bilberries, the sacrifice of a bull, and a ritual dance-play in which Lugh seizes the harvest for mankind and defeats the powers of blight. Many of the activities would have taken place on top of hills and mountains.

Lughnasadh customs persisted widely until the 20th century, with the event being variously named 'Garland Sunday', 'Bilberry Sunday', 'Mountain Sunday' and 'Crom Dubh Sunday'. The custom of climbing hills and mountains at Lughnasadh has survived in some areas, although it has been re-cast as a Christian pilgrimage. The best known is the 'Reek Sunday' pilgrimage to the top of Croagh Patrick on the last Sunday in July. A number of fairs are also believed to be survivals of Lughnasadh, for example, the Puck Fair.

Since the late 20th century, Celtic neopagans have observed Lughnasadh, or something based on it, as a religious holiday. In some places, elements of the festival have been revived as a cultural event.

In Old Irish the name was Lugnasad (Modern Irish: [ˈl̪ˠʊɣnˠəsˠəd̪ˠ]). This is a combination of Lug (the god Lugh) and násad (an assembly), which is unstressed when used as a suffix. Later spellings include Luᵹ̇nasaḋ, Lughnasadh and Lughnasa.

In Modern Irish the spelling is Lúnasa [ˈl̪ˠuːnˠəsˠə], which is also the name for the month of August. The genitive case is also Lúnasa as in Mí Lúnasa (Month of August) and Lá Lúnasa (Day of Lúnasa). In Modern Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig), the festival and the month are both called Lùnastal [ˈl̪ˠuːnəs̪t̪əl̪ˠ]. In Manx (Gaelg), the festival and the month are both called Luanistyn [ˈluanɪstθən]. The day itself may be called either Laa Luanistyn or Laa Luanys.

In Welsh (Cymraeg), the day is known as Calan Awst, originally a Latin term, the Calends of August in English. In Breton (brezhoneg), the day was known as Gouel Eost, the Feast of August.

Historic Lughnasadh customs:

In Irish mythology, the Lughnasadh festival is said to have begun by the god Lugh (modern spelling: Lú) as a funeral feast and athletic competition (see funeral games) in commemoration of his mother or foster-mother Tailtiu. She was said to have died of exhaustion after clearing the plains of Ireland for agriculture. Tailtiu may have been an earth goddess who represented the dying vegetation that fed mankind. The funeral games in her honour were called the Óenach Tailten or Áenach Tailten (modern spelling: Aonach Tailteann) and were held each Lughnasadh at Tailtin in what is now County Meath. According to medieval writings, kings attended this óenach and a truce was declared for its duration. It was similar to the Ancient Olympic Games and included ritual athletic and sporting contests, horse racing, music and storytelling, trading, proclaiming laws and settling legal disputes, drawing-up contracts, and matchmaking. At Tailtin, trial marriages were conducted, whereby young couples joined hands through a hole in a wooden door. The trial marriage lasted a year and a day, at which time the marriage could be made permanent or broken without consequences. A similar Lughnasadh festival, the Óenach Carmain, was held in what is now County Kildare. Carman is also believed to have been a goddess, perhaps one with a similar tale as Tailtiu. The Óenach Carmain included a food market, a livestock market, and a market for foreign traders. After the 9th century the Óenach Tailten was celebrated irregularly and it gradually died out. It was revived for a period in the 20th century as the Tailteann Games.

A 15th century version of the Irish legend Tochmarc Emire ("the Wooing of Emer") is one of the earliest documents to record these festivities.

From the 18th century to the mid 20th century, many accounts of Lughnasadh customs and folklore were recorded. In 1962 The Festival of Lughnasa, a study of Lughnasadh by folklorist Máire MacNeill, was published. MacNeill studied surviving Lughnasadh customs and folklore as well as the earlier accounts and medieval writings about the festival. She concluded that the evidence testified to the existence of an ancient festival around 1 August that involved the following:

Pilgrims climbing Croagh Patrick on "Reek Sunday". It is believed that climbing hills and mountains was a big part of the festival since ancient times, and the "Reek Sunday" pilgrimage is likely a continuation of this.

A solemn cutting of the first of the corn of which an offering would be made to the deity by bringing it up to a high place and burying it; a meal of the new food and of bilberries of which everyone must partake; a sacrifice of a sacred bull, a feast of its flesh, with some ceremony involving its hide, and its replacement by a young bull; a ritual dance-play perhaps telling of a struggle for a goddess and a ritual fight; an installation of a [carved stone] head on top of the hill and a triumphing over it by an actor impersonating Lugh; another play representing the confinement by Lugh of the monster blight or famine; a three-day celebration presided over by the brilliant young god [Lugh] or his human representative. Finally, a ceremony indicating that the interregnum was over, and the chief god in his right place again.

According to MacNeill, the main theme that emerges from the folklore and rituals of Lughnasadh is a struggle for the harvest between two gods. One god – usually called Crom Dubh – guards the grain as his treasure. The other god – Lugh – must seize it for mankind. Sometimes, this was portrayed as a struggle over a woman called Eithne, who represents the grain. Lugh also fights and defeats a figure representing blight. MacNeill says that these themes can be seen in earlier Irish mythology, particularly in the tale of Lugh defeating Balor, which seems to represent the overcoming of blight, drought and the scorching summer sun. In surviving folklore, Lugh is usually replaced by Saint Patrick, while Crom Dubh is a pagan chief who owns a granary or a bull and who opposes Patrick, but is overcome and converted. Crom Dubh is likely the same figure as Crom Cruach and shares some traits with the Dagda and Donn. He may be based on an underworld god like Hades and Pluto, who kidnaps the grain goddess Persephone but is forced to let her return to the world above before harvest time.

Many of the customs described by MacNeill and by medieval writers were being practised into the modern era, though they were either Christianized or shorn of any pagan religious meaning. Many of Ireland's prominent mountains and hills were climbed at Lughnasadh. Some of the treks were eventually re-cast as Christian pilgrimages, the most well-known being Reek Sunday—the yearly pilgrimage to the top of Croagh Patrick in late July. Other hilltop gatherings were secular and attended mostly by the youth. In Ireland, bilberries were gathered and there was eating, drinking, dancing, folk music, games and matchmaking, as well as athletic and sporting contests such as weight-throwing, hurling and horse racing. At some gatherings, everyone wore flowers while climbing the hill and then buried them at the summit as a sign that summer was ending. In other places, the first sheaf of the harvest was buried. There were also faction fights, whereby two groups of young men fought with sticks. In 18th-century Lothian, rival groups of young men built towers of sods topped with a flag. For days, each group tried to sabotage the other's tower, and at Lughnasadh they met each other in 'battle'. Bull sacrifices around Lughnasadh time were recorded as late as the 18th century at Cois Fharraige in Ireland (where they were offered to Crom Dubh) and at Loch Maree in Scotland (where they were offered to Saint Máel Ruba). Special meals were made with the first produce of the harvest. In the Scottish Highlands, people made a special cake called the lunastain, which may have originated as an offering to the gods.

Another custom that Lughnasadh shared with Imbolc and Beltane was visiting holy wells, some specifically clootie wells. Visitors to these wells would pray for health while walking sunwise around the well; they would then leave offerings, typically coins or clooties. Although bonfires were lit at some of the open-air gatherings in Ireland, they were rare and incidental to the celebrations.

Traditionally, Lughnasadh has always been reckoned as the first day of August. In recent centuries, however, much of the gatherings and festivities associated with it shifted to the nearest Sundays – either the last Sunday in July or first Sunday in August. It is believed this is because the coming of the harvest was a busy time and the weather could be unpredictable, which meant work days were too important to give up. As Sunday would have been a day of rest anyway, it made sense to hold celebrations then. The festival may also have been affected by the shift to the Gregorian calendar.

Modern Lughnasadh customs:

In Ireland, some of the mountain pilgrimages have survived. By far the most popular is the Reek Sunday pilgrimage at Croagh Patrick, which attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims each year.

The Puck Fair circa 1900, showing the wild goat (King Puck) atop his 'throne'

The Puck Fair is held each year in early August in the town of Killorglin, County Kerry. It has been traced as far back as the 16th century but is believed to be a survival of a Lughnasadh festival. At the beginning of the three-day festival, a wild goat is brought into the town and crowned 'king', while a local girl is crowned 'queen'. The festival includes traditional music and dancing, a parade, arts and crafts workshops, a horse and cattle fair, and a market. It draws a great number of tourists each year.

In recent years, other towns in Ireland have begun holding yearly Lughnasa Festivals and Lughnasa Fairs. Like the Puck Fair, these often include traditional music and dancing, arts and crafts workshops, traditional storytelling, and markets. Such festivals have been held in Gweedore, Sligo, Brandon, Rathangan and a number of other places. Craggaunowen, an open-air museum in County Clare, hosts a yearly Lughnasa Festival at which historical re-enactors demonstrate elements of daily life in Gaelic Ireland. It includes displays of replica clothing, artefacts, weapons and jewellery. A similar event has been held each year at Carrickfergus Castle in County Antrim. In 2011 RTÉ broadcast a Lughnasa Live television program from Craggaunowen.

In the Irish diaspora, survivals of the Lughnasadh festivities are often seen by some families still choosing August as the traditional time for family reunions and parties, though due to modern work schedules these events have sometimes been moved to adjacent secular holidays, such as the Fourth of July in the United States.

The festival is referenced in the 1990 play Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel, which was adapted into a 1998 film of the same name.

Neopaganism:

Lughnasadh, or similar festivities based on it, is observed by some modern Pagans in general and Celtic Neopagans in particular. Despite their common name, such Lughnasadh celebrations can differ widely. While some attempt to emulate the historic festival as much as possible,others base their celebrations on many sources, the Gaelic festival being only one of them.

Neopagans usually celebrate Lughnasadh on 1 August in the Northern Hemisphere and 1 February in the Southern Hemisphere, often beginning their festivities at sunset the evening before. Some Neopagans celebrate it at the astronomical midpoint between the summer solstice and autumn equinox, or the full moon nearest this point. In 2020, this astronomical midpoint falls on 7 August (Northern hemisphere) or 4 February (Southern hemisphere).

Celtic Reconstructionist:

Celtic Reconstructionist pagans strive for continuity with pre-Christian practices of the Celts, based on research and historical accounts, but may be modified slightly to suit modern life. Reconstructionists avoid syncretic or eclectic approaches that combine practices from different cultures.

Celtic Reconstructionists who follow Gaelic traditions tend to celebrate Lughnasadh at the time of "first fruits", or on the full moon nearest this time. In the Northeastern United States, this is often the time of the blueberry harvest, while in the Pacific Northwest the blackberries are often the festival fruit. In Celtic Reconstructionism, Lughnasadh is seen as a time to give thanks to the spirits and deities for the beginning of the harvest season, and to propitiate them with offerings and prayers not to harm the still-ripening crops. The god Lugh is honoured by many at this time, and gentle rain on the day of the festival is seen as his presence and his bestowing of blessings. Many Celtic Reconstructionists also honour the goddess Tailtiu at Lughnasadh, and may seek to keep the Cailleachan from damaging the crops, much in the way appeals are made to Lugh.

Wiccia:

Wiccans use the names "Lughnasadh" or "Lammas" for the first of their autumn harvest festivals. It is one of the eight yearly "Sabbats" of their Wheel of the Year, following Midsummer and preceding Mabon. It is seen as one of the two most auspicious times for handfasting, the other being at Beltane. Some Wiccans mark the holiday by baking a figure of the "corn god" in bread, and then symbolically sacrificing and eating it.

I hope you enjoyed this blog more to follow soon.

Blessed be,

Culture Calypso's Blog

[on-misty-mountains]

Slieve Croob and the surrounding countryside, Northern Ireland

Slieve Croob can be translated to 'Mountain of the Hoof' and though it is not very high (534 m), it is apparently over 380 Million years old, even older than the Mourne Mountains, which you can see looming on the other side. This whole area was once shaped by big ice sheets pushing down from Donegal during the Ice Age. On top of Slieve Croob you find the 12 Cairns, which are Neolithic burial chambers (possibly put together from one big one originally). Neolithic farming communities would settle in the fertile valleys below between 4000BC and 2000BC and they have erected many impressive stone structures all around the area. Slieve Croob was also traditionally the place where Lughnasa was celebrated, the festival dedicated to the Celtic sun god Lugh. It was celebrated in August to prolong the period of sunshine into the harvest months. People would pick bilberries (also known as 'blaeberries', giving it the name 'Blaeberry Sunday') on the way up and then sing, dance and play the fiddle. This was done on Slieve Croob well into the 1950s.

A Northern Ireland vlog is up on Youtube. 

[princesscindyrina]

Gift from someone who care for my health...😌 #princesscindyrina #supplements #spirulina #greenalgae #bilberry #healthyliving #lifestyleblogger #livinglifehappily #lifeisshort #lifestylephotography #vitamins #healthyfood #positivevibes #sunday #beautytravel https://www.instagram.com/p/BuRJQH3H8kv/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1eg726z2ypgny

[siren88]

Fae 💚💕💖🌹🧚🏻‍♂️🧚🏻🧚‍♀️🦊🦋💖 🧚‍♀️🧚🏻 Lughnasadh or Lughnasa 🌹 Lughnasadh is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. In Modern Irish it is called Lúnasa, in Scottish Gaelic: Lùnastal, and in Manx: Luanistyn. Traditionally it is held on 1 August, or about halfway between the summer solstice and autumn equinox. However, in recent centuries some of the celebrations shifted to the Sundays nearest this date. Lughnasadh is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with Samhain, Imbolc and Beltane. It corresponds to other European harvest festivals such as the Welsh Gŵyl Awst and the English Lammas. Lughnasadh is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature and has pagan origins. The festival itself is named after the god Lugh. It involved great gatherings that included religious ceremonies, ritual athletic contests (most notably the Tailteann Games), feasting, matchmaking and trading. There were also visits to holy wells. According to folklorist Máire MacNeill, evidence shows that the religious rites included an offering of the 'First Fruits', a feast of the new food and of bilberries, the sacrifice of a bull and a ritual dance-play in which Lugh seizes the harvest for mankind and defeats the powers of blight. Much of the activities would have taken place on top of hills and mountains. Source: Wikipedia #lughnasadh #lughnasadhaltar 🌹⚜️💋 (at Wheaton, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSDwHp0NIzm/?utm_medium=tumblr

[granny-core]

🍓Picking wild berries, Scandinavian style🍓

(Picking wild berries is a huge part of Scandinavian culture, so here is some stuff I've observed that might be useful!)

-Always bring something to pick berries in, even if you're not really going out to pick berries. It will bother you to leave those cloudberries behind!

-You might want to bring a berry-picking rake, especially if you are looking to bring home several kilos of Bilberries or lingonberries.

-The "everyman's right" or Freedom to Roam gives you the right to pick wild berries for your own consumption in most of Norway, except for what grows... Well... very close to people's homes.

-Bringing a packed lunch; "matpakke", with open sandwiches and and some coffee or hot chocolate for a nice break is pretty good motivation, and has probably been the norm since the dawn of time.

-It's illegal(!) in Norway to pick unripe cloudberries.

-Sundays are for hikes. Hike day. There will probably be lots of people picking berries. Not as many as in the 60s though.

-There will either be a LOT more berries than you expected (curse that tiny 5L bucket!), or almost none.

-Always bring your phone if you pick cloudberries with someone. You will definitely lose eachother after about four minutes. Berries are very distracting.

-It's polite to share your berries with friends or family who are physically unable to pick berries themselves, especially if they are older. Wild berries are a Big Deal to older Scandinavians. If your grandma is physically able to pick berries though, she probably already did. In which case, save them for a friend on wheels, or city dweller.

-Bilberries (Scandinavian blueberries) are smaller, tastier blueberries, that are coloured all the way through, and taste like magic as jam on pancakes!

-Back in the day, nobody would willingly tell anyone outside of their family where to find cloudberries. Now that your survival doesn't depend on them anymore, you might tell someone you like. Really like, mind you.

[shadoedseptmbr]

six sentence sunday

I’ve got two works in progress, so here are snippets:

Case Files...

J: You have resigned from the Alliance, though.  Why would you care about recruitment? 

  Resigned? I came straight to Alliance contacts as soon as I was given any control over my movement.  I came with the ship and the whole crew at the time.  I came to the Ambassador’s office on the Citadel, offered to hand over any intelligence I had at hand, and offered to put myself under Alliance surveillance five days after I woke up on a table and under fire.  And I was told I was shit out of luck, so hey, can’t blame a gal for trying, right?  

Subject is smiling, continued eye contact; interviewer J takes another sip of water and moves chair back.

o---o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o---oo-o-o--o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oo-oo-o--o-o-o-o-o-o

The Kids Aren’t Alright...

scrape

She dragged her spoon across the bottom of the heavy pottery bowl, carving a channel in the thick porridge.  Every morning, once the cornmeal was gone, porridge.  Late enough in the year, now, there aren’t even dried bilberries or birch syrup to pretend to make it taste good. 

But every other morning, Aeryn had leapt out of bed and sifted oats into salted boiling water.  A little hum under her breath on good mornings as she stirred. Every morning Carver would snag the syrup jug from the top shelf and set the table.  Every morning.

Until today.  

Today, just after spring planting when she could still smell snow under the wet turned earth of the garden Bethany and Carver had come into the kitchen to find the pot empty, the fire still banked, and a note leaned against the jug in their sister’s neat, slanted script.  

I need to go.  I’ve joined the King’s Army.  I will write when I can. I love you all.  Be good.