Merry Lammas, it's Pagan Pride on Sunday!

Lammas, or Lughnasadh (Celtic), is celebrated either on 1 August or 2 August, and celebrates the first harvest. Personally, I celebrate it on 2 August and find Lammas a lot easier to spell. ;) Summer is still in full force, and will be for a while longer, but fruits are starting to ripen, fields are turning yellow and our kitchen gardens are bountiful with the treasures of Mother Nature.

My favourite Pagan festivals are the harvest festivals, but that's because I like autumn. Around Mabon (the next holiday in the Wheel of the Year, i.e. the Autumn Equinox in September), we have the holiday as a pivot point between summer and autumn, but I've noticed the change more dramatically in Sweden. Before Mabon, it's basically summer. Then Mabon comes, and the trees quickly start turning yellow.

For a harvest festival, I like to bake, even if it's just a little cake or something, as grains are one of the important things currently being harvested. Haven't made one today, because ... okay, I had booked the day off work because we had some windows done, so I really have no excuse, but I did other things. Like cleaning off the hob, which is more important than a cake, let's be honest.

If you are anywhere in the vicinity of Nottingham on Sunday, you could come to the Pagan Pride festival! The Pride march starts off from Market Square (gathering's at 10:30, and that's AM not PM) and then we all go together to the Arboretum. Chatting, chanting, singing, whatever you like. I went last year, which was the first time they did it, so this is the second time they're organising it. It was fun, even though I felt slightly sheepish when asked what my Path was, and I harrumphed and said, "Err, I'm sort of ... secular, really." Didn't instantly become persona non grata, but I think the guy I was talking to found other people more interesting five seconds later ...

Last year's march, just setting off from the Robin Hood statue
outside Nottingham Castle - moved to Market Square this year.
There were about 300 of us in the march! [Pic source: BBC]

Once at the Arboretum, if it's anything like last year, there will be bands performing, and various different market stalls and food and things like that, so if you don't want to participate in the marching, you can just skip it and go straight to the park. I would've had a stall there to sell my wands, but I'm not confident it would be worthwhile, considering the cost of a stall . Will get my business cards instead and flaunt them about. ;)

Here are the pictures I took last year: