Celebrating the Beginning of the Harvest and of this year's Island Earthfair

Lughnasadh/ Lammas Festival 2004

*Welcome Song: Inca Harvest Song

*Calling forth the Directions

*About This Festival

*Songs: The Earth Is Our Mother

A'Reaping

*Poem: The Sunflower by Mary Oliver

*Activity: Create a poem-blessing or draw picture of something you are thankful for

Name it (real or made up)

What does it look like/what is is doing ("You look like ....")

Thank you for ,,,, (a quality you enjoy in your life, or a gift it offers you)

* Sharing: Poem, pictures or a thanksgiving thought

* Songs: Harvest Song

* Close circle. Food Blessing song & share the Lammas loaves!

LYRICS

Inca Harvest Song

Come my sisters, come my brothers at the sounding of the horn

On the hillsides, on the mountains, harvest we the yellow corn

Golden shines our Father Sun, silver shines our Mother Moon

Sickles flashing fill your baskets, reaping in the yellow noon.

Praise to thee O mighty Inti, for the barley and the cane.

In the wheatfields in the cornfields, harvest we the yellow grain

Softly blows the autumn wind, gently wave the silken leaves

Reapers singing, press we onward tying up the yellow sheaves.

The Earth Is Our Mother

The Earth Is Our Mother, we must take care of her

The Earth Is Our Mother, we must take care of her.

(Chorus:) Hey yanga ho yanga hey yan yan (2x)

Her sacred ground we walk upon, With every step we take

Her sacred ground we walk upon, With every step we take.

(Chorus)

(Repeat all three times)

A-Reaping

I will go with my father a-reaping, to the brown field by the sea

And the geese and the crows and the children

will come flocking after me

I will sing to the weary reapers with the wren in the heat of the sun

And my father will sing the scythe song that joys for the harvest done.

Harvest

The boughs do shake and the bells do ring, So merrily comes our harvest in

Our harvest in, our harvest in, so merrily comes our harvest in.

We've ploughed, we've sowed, we've reaped, we've mowed,

We've ploughed, we've sowed, we've got our harvest in

(alternate 2nd verse:)

We've ploughed, we've sowed, we've reaped, we've mowed,

So merrily is our harvest in

Our harvest in, our harvest in, so merrily is our harvest in!

The boughs do shake and the bells do ring, so merrily comes our harvest in,

Our harvest in, our harvest in, so merrily comes our harvest in.

Food Blessing Song

For the golden corn and the apples on the tree

For the golden butter and the honey from the bees

For fruits and nuts and berries we gather on our way

We praise our loving Mother Earth and thank her every day!