Lughnasa means "the games of Lugh" (pronounced as Lou) and refers to the assembly for games at the time of the first of three harvests. The month of August is called Lughnasadh as Gaeilge and it marks the first harvest of Summer. This was a specifically Irish holiday and many of the other Celtic cultures also celebrate an August festival known by a range of names. As Beltine marks the start of summer - Lughnasa marks the end of summer. History associates Lughnasa with the Lugh, a leading Celtic deity and hero. As it is the end of summer and the time of the first main harvest - everyone reckoned it to be a great time to assemble for the games with a major feast, and for some it was the start of a trial marriage.
We time Lughansa by the setting of the star called Regulus in Leo which is seen by us as the setting of the star Shallinis in the sign of Lugh.
Four years ago - Con renamed the star group Leo after Lugh and the bright star Regulus. He renamed Regulus as Shalinnis (aka Fáil Inis), hound of Lugh. Shalinnis is invincible in battle, vomited quantities of gold and silver as needed and mead or wine came out of streams he washed in - a hound worthy of the great war hero we know as Lugh.
The big thing about Lughnasa this year is its double occultation. In the graphic you can see Venus and the Dark Moon with Shallinis in the far distance behind them. When the Sun has set 3 or 4 degrees below the horizon the planet Venus will suddenly brighten as it reflects Sunlight and because Shallinis is behind it, any light from Shallinis will be hidden by the brightness of Venus. The Dark Moon is not reflecting any sunlight but it contributes to the occultation of Shallinis. So if you are standing in the right place at the right time looking in the right direction and waiting to see the bright star Regulus/Shallinis and the Sun has just set below the horizon its the planet Venus that you can see. It may look like the bright star of Lughnasa has got really really big but the light from the star will be hidden inside the light from Venus. We wonder if this is part of the legend that said the bright star Lugh was a second Sun...this is the correct timing for Lughnasa with the Sun set and the bright star Shallinis/Regulus briefly makes an appearance before it too sets below the horizon and its happening on the 5th of August at 21:33 Irish time.
We time Lughansa by the setting of the star called Regulus in Leo which is seen by us as the setting of the star Shallinis in the sign of Lugh.
Four years ago - Con renamed the star group Leo after Lugh and the bright star Regulus. He renamed Regulus as Shalinnis (aka Fáil Inis), hound of Lugh. Shalinnis is invincible in battle, vomited quantities of gold and silver as needed and mead or wine came out of streams he washed in - a hound worthy of the great war hero we know as Lugh.
The big thing about Lughnasa this year is its double occultation. In the graphic you can see Venus and the Dark Moon with Shallinis in the far distance behind them. When the Sun has set 3 or 4 degrees below the horizon the planet Venus will suddenly brighten as it reflects Sunlight and because Shallinis is behind it, any light from Shallinis will be hidden by the brightness of Venus. The Dark Moon is not reflecting any sunlight but it contributes to the occultation of Shallinis. So if you are standing in the right place at the right time looking in the right direction and waiting to see the bright star Regulus/Shallinis and the Sun has just set below the horizon its the planet Venus that you can see. It may look like the bright star of Lughnasa has got really really big but the light from the star will be hidden inside the light from Venus. We wonder if this is part of the legend that said the bright star Lugh was a second Sun...this is the correct timing for Lughnasa with the Sun set and the bright star Shallinis/Regulus briefly makes an appearance before it too sets below the horizon and its happening on the 5th of August at 21:33 Irish time.
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