© Aris Dervis 2006

Lammas
August lst

The festival of Lammas represents the midpoint between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox. It celebrates the first harvest. This is the point at which the fruits of spring and summer drop their seeds into the earth for the new crop. Activities common to the celebration of the day included trial marriages, valid for a year and a day. When the following Lammas came along, the couple was free to continue or terminate their relationship with no strings attached.
The crabapple was one of the fruits sacred to Lammas. This picture was taken in Riverside Park in late July.