We have just observed Lammas, or Lughnasadh - the first harvest festival of the Druid and Pagan calendars. This time last year, a very good friend of mine came to stay and celebrate Lammas with us. I baked bread and cooked with local produce, and we picked the first greengages from the tree in our garden. I was 8 months pregnant, full of anticipation, hope and excitement about the new chapter we were about to begin. At one point, when talking about festivals and rituals, she asked me ‘Do we need it? Ancestral connection? I’m not sure I feel like I do.’
The short answer is a resounding ‘yes’. The long answer is that the how and why changes dependent on how we have been racialised. My friend is of European descent, has been racialised as white and raised in England. I am Indian and European, racialised as brown, raised in England. The conversation that followed sparked a lot of thoughts for me, and I want to share an extended answer for you here.
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