Party hearty or take a trip to the farmers’ market to mark Lammas

It may still feel distinctly like summer outside, but Aug. 1 has long been celebrated by some Europeans as the beginning of fall.

Known to some as Lammas and others as Lughnasad, the festival of the harvest is most commonly celebrated by baking a loaf of bread from the season’s new grain supply.

Although predating Christianity, the celebration has been incorporated into church traditions as well, as the first loaves of bread were brought to Mass on Aug. 1, from whence the name Lammas (loaf-mass) is derived. In addition to the celebration of the year’s bounty, some traditions also incorporate a farewell to the sun, as the days become shorter and the nights cooler.

Whether the celebration is spiritual or merely symbolic, there’s something to be said for reconnecting with the seasons and with the sowing, growing and reaping of food in our community. Sitting in air-conditioned cubicles and commuting by car, we can so easily become separated from the natural world that we have little chance to recognize the rhythms of nature which were so essential to our ancestors.

Amplify that by the fact that most of us get a majority of our food from the grocery store, where importation of goods from around the world and the prevalence of hothouse-grown produce means that we no longer connect certain seasons with certain foods. Visiting a farmers’ market gives us at least an indication of what foods are being produced locally during the year, but for a majority of buyers, having tomatoes and peaches year-round, for example, has become the norm.

Lammas is often celebrated by highlighting the bounty of the season through baking and cooking from the abundant foods available in late summer. In addition to bread, other grains such as corn and fall foods such as squash are often utilized. Add to that an abundance of cane berries currently thriving around us, and there’s a veritable feast to be had.

Throwing a harvest party and taking advantage of the bounty of the season is a fun way to mark the end of summer. We’re heading to our friends’ house Friday evening for such a gathering, and I plan on making a loaf of bread for the potluck event.

Perhaps a simple trip to the farmer’s market Saturday morning could yield enough treats for a Lammas picnic, or you can use the celebration as an excuse for a weekend barbecue that features local meats and produce.

There’s another way in which some cultures celebrate Lammas that doesn’t have to do with abundance, but with loss. As we anticipate the “death” of the sun in winter, we also are encouraged to focus on goodbyes, leaving beloved things behind and dealing with change. Through the symbolism of the end of summer, celebrating Lammas gives one a chance to address the losses we’ve experienced during the year, or ones we may soon face.

It seems a gloomy contrast to the heady harvest party that is also taking place, but facing those goodbyes can be a strengthening event, reminding us that while many things change and shift, we can still count on the cycles of nature to return the light, and the bounty that accompanies it, back to our lives once more.

Theresa Hogue can be reached at theresa.hogue@lee.net or 758-9526.