August in Scottish Gaelic is An Lùnasdal (roughly pronounced as “an loo-nas-dall) which comes from Lughnasadh, a Celtic festival when crofters, their survival dependant on their crops, celebrated the first fruits of the harvest, and Lugh, the Celtic Sun God. It was around this time of year that crofters returned to their crofts from the summer sheilings – the bothies on hill ground with good pasture where the families of each crofting township summered with their animals, a lively time with cèilidhs (informal gatherings sharing news, stories, music, song and dance) when friendships were strengthened, families worked together and many a romance blossomed! Upon their return, preparations for the harvest would begin to ensure the crucial stores were gathered for the long winter ahead.

Lùnasdal is one of the four quarter-day festivals throughout the year (together with Imbolc, Beltane and Samhain) which were important days in the rural calendar when contracts and leases would be negotiated, rents paid, servants hired, and ministers received their stipend. Later, the quarter-days would come to form the four divisions in the legal year.