Old Farmer's Almanac

This day, traditionally observed on August 1, marked the beginning of the harvest, and especially celebrated the first wheat or corn crop of summer. It derives from an ancient English festival called the Gule of August, a pagan dedication of the first fruits. On Lammas Day, loaves of bread were baked from the first-ripened grain and brought to the churches to be consecrated. The word “lammas” comes from the Old English hlaf, “loaf,” and maesse, “mass” or “feast.” Through the centuries, “loaf-mass” became corrupted in spelling and pronunciation, turning into “Lammas.”