Our mission is to bring visitors closer to the Celtic era, its historical events, and its rich culture.
Step closer! Learn more about our festival here!
The international festival of Celtic culture, Lughnasad, was created as a volunteer project affiliated with the Land of the Celts open-air museum in Nasavrky near Chrudim. Its first official edition took place in 2005. Since then, every summer, visitors from across Europe have gathered at the Lughnasad festival to celebrate this Celtic festival of harvest and abundance. The magical surroundings of the Iron Mountains, once traversed by ancient Celtic trails, enhance the festival’s unique atmosphere.
Want to experience what life was like back then? In the extensive oppidum, you will find ongoing reconstructions of Celtic dwellings from that time. The site also hosts numerous craft demonstrations, engaging lectures, staged battles, children’s games, historical food tastings, and many other activities you can participate in.
Outside the oppidum ramparts, you’ll discover a marketplace filled with a variety of crafts, food, and drinks, as well as the festival’s main stage. After all, no celebration is complete without music, dance, and song. During the day, the stage is home to Irish dance lessons and theater performances for children. But in the evening, when the oppidum gates close, the festivities continue right here. You can enjoy the melodies of Celtic folk music during concerts featuring both Czech and international bands.
From the very beginning, the festival has been powered by the hard work of volunteers who dedicate their year to making this celebration of harvest and abundance an unforgettable experience. In 2024, nearly a hundred volunteers contributed to the event, taking on essential roles in technical support, ticketing, and other key positions.
But let’s not forget—Lughnasad is a Celtic festival honoring the harvest, and no such celebration would be complete without the Procession of the Grain Goddess, culminating in a traditional ritual. And you can take part too!
Come to Lughnasad and uncover the stories of our legendary ancestors! Get your tickets here: www.lughnasad.cz/en/tickets/
Celtic Celebration of Lughnasad
The celebration of Lughnasad is one of the eight main holidays celebrated by our ancestors throughout the year. Four of these holidays can be seen as solar festivals, derived from the spring and autumn equinoxes and the summer and winter solstices. Between them, we find the so-called quarter days, which divide the year into four additional segments. Starting from the beginning of winter, these are Samhain, Imbolc, Beltine, and Lughnasad.
In regional variations, it may also be called Lunasdal, Lunasduinn, or Laa Luanys, and in the Christian tradition, Lammas. Based on the name, one might assume it is a festival of Lugh, the god of the sun, arts, and crafts. However, this is only partially true, as Lughnasad, according to Irish tradition, is primarily a commemoration of Lugh’s foster mother Taillte, who is a fertility goddess and the personification of Mother Earth. She sacrificed her life to make the land fertile. According to legend, the god Lugh himself decreed the celebration of this festival in her honor. It is celebrated around August 1st and is considered a harvest festival for grain.
Although some sources dispute this significance due to modern agricultural timelines, it is plausible that during the La Tène period, the climate was more favorable, the fields were smaller, and the grain was harvested at a less mature stage to prevent it from falling out of the ears. Therefore, the harvest could indeed have been completed around this time.
Traditions Associated with Lughnasad
The celebrations of Lughnasad lasted several days, sometimes up to a week. A large market was held, along with exhibitions and friendly competitions showcasing the skills and talents of craftsmen, bards, athletes, and warriors. These competitions were friendly because fighting and bloodshed were forbidden during this time. Additionally, new contracts and marriages were arranged, some of which were permanent, while others were trial marriages lasting one year. The highlight of Lughnasad was a ritual of thanksgiving for the harvest, which could take various forms.
In one tradition, an effigy of the Grain Goddess/Mother Earth, made from straw and field flowers and dressed in festive attire, was carried in a procession. If the harvest was good, the effigy represented a maiden; if it was poor, it represented an old woman. The goddess was offered sacrifices and thanks for her gift. Elsewhere, the last sheaf from the field was decorated and honored. In another tradition, selected girls carried a harvest wreath, symbolizing both the fertility of the fields and the sun, essential for growth. Freshly harvested grain could also be used to bake the first bread or honey cake, which was shared among all the people. From the Slavs of Rügen, we know that the size of this cake could be used to predict whether the coming year would be good or bad.
For us in Nasavrky, Lughnasad is part of the wheel of the year. Everything begins with sowing at the spring equinox. A week before Lughnasad, we harvest the ripe grain, and the women of the tribe weave it into the effigy of the goddess. The last sheaf, containing all the fertility of the land, is hidden in the center of this effigy. This sheaf cannot be touched by just anyone because its concentrated fertility could harm them. Therefore, men throw sickles at the sheaf, trying to cut it down. Whoever succeeds “wins the old woman” and must care for the oldest woman in the tribe until the next harvest to appease the grain spirit. During Lughnasad, the goddess is decorated and carried in a festive procession. In the sanctuary, thanks are given to her, and sacrifices are made to ensure her favor in the coming years. Over the winter, the goddess is kept in a place of honor in the chieftain’s house. In spring, all the ears of grain are removed from her, transforming her from a fertile maiden into an old winter hag. She is burned in the field at the spring equinox to strengthen the soil with her ashes, and the blessed grain is mixed with new seeds, returning the fertile spirit to the fields.
In a time of full granaries and general peace, when tables were laden with food and cups overflowed with mead and beer, when bards recited ancient stories and people enjoyed dancing and singing, immerse yourself in the depths of ages and celebrate Lughnasad with us!