Rev Tillotson, Margaret McCarthy and Mr Crow blessing the loaf, August 2023
Photo by Gerry Atkinson
Blessing the Lammas Loaf
by
I don’t like the word ‘pagan’. I don’t think it means very much. It’s from the Latin, ‘pagus’, meaning a country district. A ‘paganus’ was a rustic person, a country dweller. It’s an insult. It means ‘yokel’. Before it was used by Christians, to refer to people whose belief system they didn’t approve of, it was used by professional soldiers in the Roman army to refer to new recruits. So it means ignorant, stupid, wet-behind-the-ears, dumb or unlearned. Not really a term that I want to be associated with.
Nevertheless I ascribe to what might be described as the pagan ideology. I believe we should love nature and the Earth and, if we’re inclined to worship, to direct it to the Earth as our sacred Mother, rather than to some vague abstraction we can hardly imagine. Seeing the Earth as sacred, rather than as a resource to be mercilessly exploited, would go a long way towards curing our ills on this planet.
One aspect of paganism I’ve adopted is the so-called Wheel of the Year. This is the division of the year into eight, fairly even, segments. These are, to name them in order of importance: the two solstices (winter and summer) the two equinoxes (spring and autumn) and the four Celtic fire-festivals of Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain, in February, May, August and October respectively. You probably know these better by their Christian names: Candlemas, May Day, Lammas and Halloween.
Lughnasadh/Lammas falls on the first of August and so fits in very neatly with our carnival, which always takes place on the first Saturday in August.
The word ‘Lughnasadh’ means ‘Assembly of the Sun’. Lugh was the Celtic sun god. Lammas means Loaf Mass and is the ancient Anglo-Saxon festival celebrating the grain harvest. These are the ‘golden days’, when the summer sun slants through the azure sky, when the land radiates warmth and the fields are full of corn (hopefully). The earth itself turns golden in this season as the crops ripen and take on that rich, sun-burnished colour.
What better way to enjoy this time than with our own ‘Assembly of the Sun’ as we parade through the streets of Whitstable, giving thanks for all the joy that life brings: companionship with our friends and neighbours, feasting and merriment, fun and laughter with, perhaps, a little bit of sacred mayhem thrown into the mix for the sheer joy of it. That’s carnival for you.
When the new committee took over in 2018, it seemed the right thing to do, to link our carnival to this celebratory strand in history. It was for this reason that the committee instituted the Blessing of the Lammas Loaf, which first took place on the afternoon of the full moon eclipse, 16th July 2019. The loaf was baked by Mark Hubbard of Hubbard’s Bakery, and blessed by the Rev Simon Tillotson in the shade of the ancient Yew tree (symbol of eternal life) in the grounds of All Saints Church, on Church Street, Whitstable.
Rev Simon is very supportive of our carnival and its ethos. This is what he says:
“In a world where conflict seems to be driving people further apart, it is so important that communities come together. Carnivals are the most fun and effective ways of doing this. The various arts and community groups that make up our society parade their floats, or walk as groups, together through the heart of our town in a spirit of light-hearted, joyful, playful celebration. For me this is a deeply spiritual recognition of the sanctity of all life, regardless of ethnic, religious, and political definition. We are all brought together by carnival. If only our world could more deeply embody the spirit of carnival, what a happier place it would be.”
Hubbard’s: family Owned Bakery since 1992
63 High Street, Whitstable, United Kingdom
Phone: 01227 772060
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057251327493
Blessing
This year’s blessing will take place on at 2pm on Friday 1st of August under the Yew Tree at All Saints Church, Church Street, Whitstable. It will be presided over by the Reverend Simon Tillotson, accompanied by local artist and Nature Priestess, Hélène Williams. The loaf will be distributed on the parade the following day.
Please come along and enjoy this moment of celebration as we mark the turning of the year through its seasons, and in anticipation of this year’s carnival.
Carnival website: https://whitstablecarnival.co.uk/
All photographs by Gerry Atkinson: https://www.gerryatkinson.com/
On the day…
The 128th anniversary CARNIVAL takes place on Saturday 2nd August 2025. Assemble along Pier Avenue and Northwood Road from 3-3.30pm.
HQ for the day will be at 15 Pier Avenue, in a gazebo in the garden.
LATE ENTRIES are accepted on the day till 4.00pm, but it will help to register early with the entry form in the program or on the website: https://whitstablecarnival.co.uk. Sign in at HQ and then find your place in the procession.
JUDGING starts at 4.15 prompt. All entries must be in position by 4.00.
CARNIVAL ENTRIES: please approach along Northwood Road from its junction with Tower Parade/Tankerton Road (where the laundrette is).
COLLECTING TINS and collecting buckets will be available from HQ.
THE PROCESSION starts at 5.30, passing Tankerton Circus at 5.40, Tower Parade 5.50, the Duke of Cumberland 6.10 and the East Kent at 6.30. These times are approximate. You should be at your vantage point early to get a good view. Please don’t let children run into the road as the procession passes.
PLEASE DO NOT THROW COINS as this has been known to damage property and is one of the reasons carnival has been less well attended in recent years. If you would like to make a donation, please put your coins in the collecting tins as they pass. All money received on the day will go to our participating charities.
ALTERNATIVELY you can DONATE via the QR Code to the right. Off The Wall Club is managing these donations for Whitstable Carnival.
About CJ Stone
CJ Stone is an author, columnist and feature writer. He has written seven books, and columns and articles for many newspapers and magazines.
Read more of CJ Stone’s work here, here and here.
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