Lammas marks the middle of summer and beginning of the harvest season. Lammas is considered a time of thanksgiving and is the first of the three Pagan harvest festivals. The Sun's strength begins to wane and the plants of spring begin to wither and drop their fruits or seeds for our use as well as to ensure future crops. At this time, we become conscious of the sacrifice the Sun God is preparing to make. We experience a sense of abundance at the same time we begin to feel an urgency to prepare for the death of winter. First grains and fruits of the Earth are cut and stored for the dark winter months.

Lammas also represents the culmination of the marriage between the Goddess and the God that took place on Beltane. The God now becomes the product of that blessed union - the bountiful fruits and grains - and must be sacrificed. He is the personification of the crops that must be harvested for the survival of the people.

Underneath the symbolism of sacrifice is the theme of rebirth. The Corn God must die, and He has to do so in order to return. Without the sacrifice, the cycle stops. Although His strength is waning, His essence is still palpable as His energies begin to merge with the harvested crops. It is at this time that the Sun King has reached the autumn of His years, and His rival (or dark self) has just reached puberty. The Sun God has reigned supreme over the ripening grain during the hot summer months. His dedication, perseverance, and action in tending the seeds sown in spring brings a ripe and fruitful bounty.

Although Lammas is the first of the harvest festivals, fertility imagery may still be found, as there are still crops in the field continuing to grow and livestock and game that have yet to be killed. As the God is honored for His harvest, so the Goddess is honored for bringing forth the first fruits, much as a new mother is honored.

Lammas is also known as Lughnasadh, Lammastide, and First Harvest Festival.

WRCF will celebrate Lammas on July 31, 2010

5pm – 9pm
First Unitarian Church of Orlando
1901 E. Robinson St.

Orlando, FL 32803

DIRECTIONS

Time Table of Events

6pm - Ritual
7pm - Potluck Feast
8pm - Raffle

There is a requested donation of $3.00 for members and $5.00 for non-members to help cover the cost of space rental, ritual supplies and decorations.

Community Feast is held immediately following ritual.

PLEASE REMEMBER: The Feast is a Communal Event, it's a Pot Luck dinner - which means if you plan to eat, please bring a dish to share! This is about Fellowship, sharing, and Giving Back to the WRCF Community!

If for whatever reason you are unable to bring something to share, a donation to the Feast Fund would be greatly appreciated.

The WRCF is 501(c)3 organization.
All donations are tax-deductible.