Lammass at Kirkburn

“Loaf Mass” isn’t celebrated so much these days in the Anglican Church. Loaf Mass actually goes back to well before Christian times, and the Church as it often does, has cleverly appropriated this day to itself. Lammas in Celtic days was called Lughnasad after the God Lugh. The correct day of celebration is August 1, although sometimes the astrological date August 6th (old style) is held to be the day of the feast. The congregation of St. Mary’s together with the congregations of the other 5 benefice churches celebrated the feast on September 4th, with a Lammas communion at St. Andrew’s Church, Bainton. The altar was decorated with a Harvest loaf and grain kindly given by a local flour mill. The service was presided over by Bishop David Lunn and by John Tallant, our rector. After the service we adjourned for a Benefice Barbecue held in the Rectory garden,. In the old days July was a pretty scant month as far as food was concerned; the stocks of food stored for the winter had long gone and the first harvesting was eagerly awaited., and so I think was our barbecue.
The Celts celebrated the feast as the wake of the god Lugh, the Sun King, the light of the sun beginning to dwindle after the peak of summer. The Saxons celebrated Lammas as the new harvesting of the grain. It was the first time after the grain stored for and used during the previous winter, that they were able to fill their bellies again, and , of course, to begin storing new grain for the coming winter. The first English christians put the first loaf, the Lammas loaf, on the church altars. The grain dies so that people might live - the goodness of the bread gives people life. The saving and sowing of a part of the harvest brings a resurrection, and a new Lammas. This sounds like the church on song. And that is actually what it is. The Christian mystery of communion echoes the pagan mystery of the Gods of the grain.

Although Lammas is not often celebrated in the Anglican church it should be. It represents the natural fulfilment of the prayers offered at rogation. It is right to thank God for his gifts, and, as I write so often, no man has ever made grain without God. And we are grateful to John Tallant for bringing us this festival for the first time in my memory of the last almost 30 years.

Sept. 4th dawned mistily and the weather looked decidedly dodgy. We had made contingency arrangements in case of rain, but in the event by mid-day the weather was really beautiful, and the barbecue went with a swing. Everyone enjoyed the day and from the ticket money and raffle there was a good result both for the benefice and for a children’s hospice in Yorkshire.