August 1
Lughnasadh
History & Meaning
The first harvest festival — traditionally the grain harvest specifically, named for the god Lugh, and marked with the first bread baked from the new grain.
Correspondences
Colors: gold, orange, brown. Herbs: wheat, sunflower, calendula. Foods: bread (central to this sabbat specifically), corn, early apples. Crystals: citrine, peridot, tiger's eye.
Ritual
Baking a loaf of bread from scratch, specifically, is the sabbat's own central practice — the process itself (kneading, waiting, baking) doubles as a meditation on labor and reward.
Recipe / Activity
A basic no-fail sandwich loaf, or for more ambition, a braided challah — either way, the point is baking bread specifically on this day.