Grain field near my village

For materials and instructions on how to make corn dollies, or just to buy any of the lovely dollies on sale in their gift shop, I recommend

Corncraft in Monks Eleigh, Suffolk.

Corn Craft - Home Page, Corn Dollies, maize dolls and traditional crafts hand made in England

The straw sold here is a grain variety called 'Masterpiece' which I understand has more flexibility that modern varieties.

If you are thinking of buying straw, visit the shop (if you can!) rather than using mail order, as the postage cost is quite substantial, due to the straw having to be packed carefully to minimize breakages.

Lughnasadh, the feast of Lugh, is the first of the three harvest festivals. Whilst generally it is celebrated around August 2nd, it may be celebrated at the start of the grain harvest, or at the end.

During Lughnasadh, we celebrate our awareness that the God has reached maturity, as demonstrated by the ripened grain. Now He sacrifices himself for us, so that we may continue to be nourished. In days of old, a good grain harvest might make the difference between survival or starvation during the Winter months.

The most well known of Lughnasadh traditions is the making of the corn dolly. Whilst an apparently simple technique, it can be known to cause endless frustrations! Traditionally, the corn would be cut in a inward spiral, with the spirit of the corn retreating into the remaining crop. When all that remained was the makings of the last sheaf, the harvesters would throw their scythes at it, so that no one person was responsible for cutting that last sheath. That sheath would form the materials to make the dolly, a home for the corn spirit to over-winter, so that, come Spring, it could be released back into the fields, as a guarantee of a good harvest for the following year.

Spiritually, at Lughnasadh, we begin to look inwards again, whilst celebrating the sacrifice made to ensure our survival. But this is not only a time of mourning and contemplation, but a time of celebration. The grain has been nurtured over the year to ensure that harvest. We have nurtured our own spirits with a view to ensuring a bountiful harvest. In this time of harvest, we celebrate part of the 'building blocks' that will make us stronger, and more able to survive the 'Winter' or the trials that we may yet face.

Instructions to make a corn dolly may be found by following this link:

Wheat Weaving from the Wheatweaving Company