Lammas is the first harvest festival of the year. Lammas is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning loaf mass. It's a special time when many fruits, vegetables, and grains are first beginning to ripen. The first fruits and grains harvested are considered to be especially sacred. Lughnasad is named for the sun god Lugh.
Colors: orange, gold, yellow, light brown, red
The Goddess: She is the Mother of the Harvest. Inanna, Demeter, Ceres, corn mothers
The God: Lugh, Samildanach, Adonis, sun gods
Also all grain and agriculture deities.
Some great activities for Lammas:
- Baking - especially breads
- Making corn dollies - you can make them in the shape of the God and Goddess
- Stringing pieces of Indian corn together to make a necklace or bracelet
- If you have a garden - harvesting and eating the fruits, veggies, or grain as part of your ceremony
Spiral Cookies
What you need:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda dash of salt
1oz semisweet baking chocolate wax paper
Preheat oven to 350
Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla. Blend the dry ingredients together and mix in slowly Set aside on cup of the batter. Melt the chocolate and add it to the remaining batter, blending until the color is uniform.
Work the light-colored batter quickly with your hands until it's smooth. Place between two pieces of wax paper, flatten and roll out into a 14-by-9 inch sheet. Set aside and do the same with the dark-colored batter. Gently peel off one of the pieces of wax paper on each dough layer. Pick up one layer and invert it as you place it exactly on top of the other layer. Do this carefully; once the layers meet,, you won't be able to shift them around. Remove the wax paper on top, and use the wax paper at the bottom to help you roll the sheets into a long cylinder. As you roll, press gently to remove any air pockets. Put the cylinder in the freezer a few minutes to harden.
With a sharp knife, cut the cylinder into slices 1/4 inch thick and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. This recipe yields about 50 spiral cookies.
recipe from the book Circle Round.
