Written by Ciaran Vipond on Aug 01, 2023 | 2 Comments
Lúnasa is an ancient Celtic festival named for Lugh, the Celtic God of Light, and marks the beginning of the harvest season and autumn in Ireland. Lúnasa is pronounced "Loon-ah-sa" and it's also the gaelic word used for "August".
You might sometimes see it written as Lughnasa as in the award winning Brian Friel play, Dancing at Lughnasa. However you spell or say it, Lunasa remains widely observed around Ireland to this day though harvest festivals and family get-togethers.
The story goes that Lugh taught the Celts about planting and the harvest. So every harvest season, there were celebrations and feasts held in his honor.
Historically, this time of year was marked by family gatherings, harvest fairs, dancing and singing, with families and communities working together to bring in the harvest. The cutting of the last sheaf was typically commemorated with a special ceremony with the sheaf itself decorated and hung above the table at a celebratory harvest meal.
In many areas Lúnasa was also a time for romance. Men and women would decorate pieces of straw, weaving them to make harvest "love" knots. These knots were exchanged as tokens or given as a mark of romantic intentions during the harvest festival.
Many of the Lúnasa traditions like harvest knots may have fallen by the wayside in Ireland today, but we still have the August bank holiday with fairs and festivals around the country. The August bank holiday is also a hugely popular time for weddings and family get togethers in Ireland. Find out more about Irish wedding traditions, including love knots, here.
Here at My Irish Jeweler we continue the tradition of harvest “love” knots by weaving silver and gold to make jewelry with Irish and Celtic knot work, a strong symbol of enduring love and commitment. You can browse our beautiful knot work jewelry for a piece of your own or one for your sweetheart.
Have a question or something you're not entirely sure about when browsing our pieces? Please reach out. You can send us a note or give us a call—the Dublin workshop is here to make sure that you have a perfect experience from start to finish with My Irish Jeweler.
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Ciaran Vipond
My Irish Jeweler
Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!
I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!
Hi Mary, thanks for stopping by and for your wonderful question. Depending on where you are in Ireland, Ciarán's name is pronounced “keer-awn”” or “”keer-in”. He is "Keer-in" to us :) The proper spelling also has a fada (the little dashed accent) on the second "a" in the name, the "á", drawing out the sound of that letter. The fada often gets dropped, especially online where accents on letters can break things!
Ask Gemma
How do u pronounce your first name. Thanks