Daghnasadh
Daghnasadh is a harvest festival associated with the beginning of the harvest season in Elvish cultures. It is traditionally held on the first Sunday of August and marked by the exchanging of foods, especially baked goods and alcoholic beverages.
The first of your fruits shall belong to Dagda, Father of Plenty;
the second, to your fellow souls in elvenkind;
the third to your own table.
—Decree of Scala I
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Devout celebrants gather together in the morning at a shrine or temple, preferably one devoted to Dagda or Danu, although a smaller Spirit Shrine is often used in areas that do not regularly worship Dagda. They offer the first fruits of their harvest; traditionally, this is the first six grains of Orlondë harvested during the year, though many who keep orchards will instead offer a slice of the first fruit containing at least six seeds. This is placed on the shrine, and the god Dagda is venerated in song. The grain or fruit is either left on the outdoor altar for wildlife or scattered in a river or ocean after the ceremony.
After the ceremony, families gather together in the kitchen, preparing dishes from their crops for a community-wide dinner. Many communities in middle Scalados also host baking competitions, primarily comparing elven breadbaking techniques. Young children are sent out with gifts of bread, fruit, or liquor to deliver to elderly members of the community and to the priests at nearby temples. These temples, in turn, open their doors to poorer community members for food and shelter on these days, even those (like Eldanír-in-Danu) that typically remain cloistered.
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More Elvish whiskey is consumed during Daghnasadh than at any other time of year. Other common foods include fruit salads, fresh noodles, curries, and kebabs that combine fresh fruits and vegetables with wild game.
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