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| Lammas Loaf Mass Day | |
|---|---|
 Lammas loaf owl with salt eyes | |
| Observed by | Christians (Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans)[1] |
| Type | Christian |
| Celebrations | Mass, church processions, First Fruits[1] |
| Observances | Bringing a loaf of bread made from the new wheat crop to the church for a blessing, making loaves from the grain collected at harvest[2][1] |
| Date | 1 August |
| Related to | Plough Sunday, Rogation days, Lughnasadh |
Lammas (from Old English hlāfmæsse, "loaf-mass"), also known as Loaf Mass Day, is a Christian holiday celebrated in some English-speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere[citation needed] on 1 August. The name originates from the word "loaf" in reference to bread and "Mass" in reference to the Eucharist.[3] It is a festival in the liturgical calendar to mark the blessing of the First Fruits of harvest, with a loaf of bread being brought to the church for this purpose.[2] Lammastide falls at the halfway point between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox.[4][5] Christians also have church processions to bakeries, where those working therein are blessed by Christian clergy.[6]
While Lammas is traditionally a Christian holy day, some neopagans have adopted the name and date for one of their harvest festivals in their Wheel of the Year. It is also the same date as the Gaelic harvest festival Lughnasadh.[7]
- ^ a b c Lewin, Ann (2011). Seasons of Grace: Inspirational Resources for the Christian Year. Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd. p. 222. ISBN 978-1-84825-090-1.
August begins with Lammas Day, Loaf Mass Day, the day in the Book of Common Prayer calendar when a loaf baked with flour from newly harvested corn would be brought into church and blessed. It's one of the oldest points of contact between the agricultural world and the Church. The others were Plough Sunday in early January, the Sunday after Epiphany and the day before work would begin again in the fields after Christmas festivities, when ploughs would be brought to church to be blessed; and Rogation days in May, the days before Ascension Day, when God's blessing would be sought on the growing crops.
- ^ a b Irvine, Theodora Ursula (1919). How to Pronounce the Names in Shakespeare: The Pronunciation of the Names in the Dramatis Personae of Each of Shakespeare's Plays, Also the Pronunciation and Explanation of Place Names and the Names of All Persons, Mythological Characters, Etc., Found in the Text, with Forewords by E.H. Sothern and Thomas W. Churchill and with a List of the Dramas Arranged Alphabetically Indicating the Pronunciation of the Names of the Characters in the Plays. Hinds, Hayden & Eldredge. p. 177.
Lammas or Lammas Day (August 1st) means the loaf-mass day. The day of first fruit offerings, when a loaf was given to the priests in lieu of the first-fruits.
- ^ Gandolphy, Peter (1815). An Exposition of Liturgy. p. 51.
Thus Christ-Mass implies that season when the incarnation and birth of Christ, are commemorated in the Mass. In the same manner are formed Candle-Mass, Michaelmas, Lammas, &c. Lammas-day for instance, which falls on the 1st of August, is derived from the Saxon word Laf, a Loaf and Mæse, or Mass: It having been customary on that day to make an offering to the Church, of a loaf made of new corn.
- ^ Daniel, Evan (1909). The Prayer-book: Its History, Language, and Contents. Wells Gardner, Darton. p. 85.
Lammas Day. In the Romish Church this day is known as the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula (St. Peter in the fetters), being the day on which the Apostle's imprisonment is commemorated... Lammas is a corruption of hlaf-masse,*the loaf-mass. In the Early English Church it was customary on this day to offer an oblation of loaves made of new wheat, as the first-fruits of the harvest. In the Sarum Manual it is called Benedictio novorum fructuum.
- ^ "The Agricultural Year". The Church of England. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Lammas-tide – 'the bread of life'". Sherborne Abbey. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
Lammas means "Loaf Mass" which used to celebrate the first bread baked from the new crop of grain which began to be harvested at Lammas-tide. Processions to bakeries would take place and those working there would be blessed. Our ancestors, with their celebration of the new bread, recognised the significance of Jesus being the bread of life.
- ^ "You say Lammas, I say Lughnasadh: Christians, Pagans embrace harvest". David Crumm Media. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
For Christians, Lammas has been a time for blessing loaves made of fresh wheat. In time, Christians also created a version of the Scottish Highland Quarter Cake for Lammas, which bore Christian symbols on the top. (Catholic Culture has a recipe.) In the Neopagan and Wiccan faiths, Lughnasadh is one of eight sabbaths and is the first of three harvest festivals.