For those who celebrate Lughnasadh (Northern Hemisphere) and Imbolc (Southern Hemisphere) on the “true” day (i.e. the precise mid-point between the June Solstice and the September Equinox), today’s the day! That mid-point arrived at 11:52 UTC August 7.
I love celebrating on the traditional day (August 1st) as well as the “true” day, and others choose to celebrate on the closest Full Moon (this year, that would be the Full Moon in Aquarius on August 15th, which some call the Grain Moon). For me, this is my Lughnasadh “season”. And I do the same at Imbolc.
But my Celtic ancestors may not have been as tied to those calendar dates as we are in our times. First of all, their calendar was very different and likely 11 or so days out of sync with the one we use today (the shift from Julian to Gregorian in 1582), and many may not have used what we would consider a traditional calendar at all (they may have used the Coligny or other calendars).
They likely observed the day of First Harvest / First Spring as just that, rather than on a specific day. They were aware of the changes in their environment as the seasons progressed, and responded to those. For Imbolc, that may have been the birthing and feeding of the lambs as the ewe’s milk flowed. For Lughnasadh, it may have been that first harvest of grains such as corn, barley and wheat (so important for food throughout the coming winter).
In your environment, what is manifesting that says “Now we are moving from Winter to Spring?” (Imbolc) or “Now we are moving from Summer to Autumn?” (Lughnasadh).
You can choose to honour and celebrate Lughnasadh and Imbolc — in fact, all celebrations in the Wheel of the Year — as they manifest in your environment, or simply celebrate on the traditional or true dates to honour the ancestors, the changes in the year and our connection to Mama Earth.