Lughnasadh, celebrated annually on August 1, is a Gaelic festival observed by the Irish, Scottish, Manx, Celtic neopagans, and Wiccans to mark the start of the harvest season. ‘Lugh,’ a mythical Irish god, is said to have created Lughnasadh to honor his foster mother ‘Tailtiu.’ Like the ancient Olympic Games, this festival featured sporting contests, music, storytelling, law proclamations, horse riding, trading, and trial marriages. In modern times, Lughnasadh is a celebration of the harvest season and has been Christianized — in some places, a pilgrimage to the top of ‘Croagh Patrick’ takes place on Reek Sunday.
Albariño Day
International Albariño Day, celebrated annually on August 1, was born out of a contest between two men — Bernardo Quintanilla and Ernesto Zàrate — to determine the best wine of 1952. The following year pioneered the Albariño Day celebration. The albariño grape is grown in several countries, but Spain is the largest producer. Albariño grape has a distinctive botanical aroma and is used to produce white wine varietals.
Commerce Day
Commerce Day is every first Monday of August — this year, it falls on August 4. Icelanders love this holiday and look forward to it with great enthusiasm. Though it started as a public holiday for blue-collar workers, it quickly caught on with other workers in the country and other European nations. Commerce Day is a day to celebrate workers’ daily services and sacrifices. It’s also a day off for everybody. The national stock exchange shuts down its normal operations on Commerce Day, as do most large and small businesses.