r the
remains of the burning brands thrown to the winds, had also the effect
of carrying off accumulated evils.[939]

Beltane and Midsummer thus appear as twin halves of a spring or early
summer festival, the intention of which was to promote fertility and
health. This was done by slaying the spirit of vegetation in his
representative--tree, animal, or man. His death quickened the energies
of earth and man. The fire also magically assisted the course of the
sun. Survival of the ancient rites are or were recently found in all
Celtic regions, and have been constantly combated by the Church. But
though they were continued, their true meaning was forgotten, and they
were mainly performed for luck or out of sheer conservatism. Sometimes a
Christian aspect was given to them, e.g. by connecting the fires with S.
John, or by associating the rites with the service of the Church, or by
the clergy being present at them. But their true nature was still
evident as acts of pagan worship and magic which no veneer of
Christianity could ever quite conceal.[940]

LUGNASAD.

The 1st of August, coming midway between Beltane and Samhain, was an
important festival among the Celts. In Christian times the day became
Lammas, but its name still survives in Irish as Lugnasad, in Gaelic as
Lunasdal or Lunasduinn, and in Manx as Laa Luanys, and it is still
observed as a fair or feast in many districts. Formerly assemblies at
convenient centres were held on this day, not only for religious
purposes, but for commerce and pleasure, both of these being of course
saturated with religion. "All Ireland" met at Taillti, just as "all
Gaul" met at Lugudunum, "Lug's town," or Lyons, in honour of Augustus,
though the feast there had formerly been in honour of the god
Lugus.[941] The festival was here Romanised, as it was also in Britain,
where its name appears as _Goel-aoust_, _Gul-austus_, and _Gwyl Awst_,
now the "August feast," but formerly the "feast of Augustus," the name
having replaced one corresponding to Lugnasad.[942]

Cormac explains the name Lugnasad as a festival of Lugh mac Ethlenn,
celebrated by him in the beginning of autumn, and the _Rennes
Dindsenchas_ accounts for its origin by saying that Lug's foster-mother,
Tailtiu, having died on the Calends of August, he directed an assembly
for lamentation to be held annually on that day at her tomb.[943] Lug is
thus the founder of his own festival, for that it was his, and not
Tailtiu's, is c