Welcome to August, where summer reaches its peak before the first whispers of autumn begin to creep in. The hedgerows are heavy with fruit, the grain ripens in the fields, and the nights become just that little bit longer.
Across Britain and beyond, this is a month steeped in harvest customs, ghostly anniversaries, strange celestial events and curious moments from history.
So, pull up a chair, put the kettle on, and let’s see what August has in store…
Folklore and Traditional Customs
August begins with one of Britain’s oldest seasonal celebrations.
1 August – Lammas (Lughnasadh) Known as Lammas in England and Lughnasadh in Ireland and Scotland, this ancient festival marks the beginning of the harvest. Traditionally the first loaf baked from the new grain was blessed before being shared among family and neighbours. Across Britain people once climbed hills, visited sacred wells, held horse races, fairs and wrestling contests, and gave thanks for surviving another year. It’s a reminder that every harvest begins with hope – and that winter is never quite as far away as we’d like to think.
Harvest Lore
August is full of beliefs surrounding crops.
Never whistle in a cornfield – it invites bad weather.
Leave the final sheaf standing until the end; many believed it housed the spirit of the harvest.
The final bundle became the Corn Dolly, woven to protect the farm until spring.
Blackberries
By the end of August, blackberries begin to ripen. Old folklore says they’re blessed until Michaelmas (29 September), after which the Devil spits on them – or worse. Whether that’s true or not, generations avoided picking them once autumn arrived.
The Night Sky August offers one of the finest celestial displays of the year.
The Perseid Meteor Shower
Peaking around 12–13 August, the Perseids are among the brightest and most reliable meteor showers visible from Britain. Created by debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, they have inspired centuries of folklore. Many cultures believed shooting stars carried souls to heaven. Others saw them as messages from ancestors – or warnings of change.
The Sturgeon Moon.
The full moon falls in early August and is traditionally known as the Sturgeon Moon, named by Native American peoples after the abundance of sturgeon caught at this time of year. Other traditional names include:Grain Moon, Green Corn Moon, Red Moon, Lightning Moon
Ghosts of August
Several famous hauntings have connections to this month. August evenings often produce the perfect conditions for ghost stories – warm days giving way to misty nights. Many traditional storytellers believed spirits wandered more freely as summer slowly gave way to autumn.
On This Day in Mystery
4 August 1892 – The infamous axe murders of Andrew and Abby Borden took place in Massachusetts, leading to the trial of Lizzie Borden – one of history’s most enduring true-crime mysteries.
24 August AD 79 – Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying Pompeii and Herculaneum beneath volcanic ash, preserving an entire Roman world frozen in time.
31 August 1888 – Mary Ann Nichols became the first widely accepted victim of Jack the Ripper, beginning one of history’s most infamous unsolved murder cases.
Cryptids and Curious Creatures
August is traditionally one of Britain’s busiest months for mystery animal reports.
Long evenings encourage walkers onto moors and coastlines, where sightings of Big cats, Phantom black dogs, Lake monsters, Sea serpents, Strange lights all tend to increase. Whether that’s because there are more creatures – or simply more witnesses – is another mystery entirely.
UFO Watch
Historically, August has produced a surprising number of UFO reports worldwide. Warm evenings encourage skywatching, while meteor showers often create confusion between astronomical events and something rather more mysterious. As always Look up – but rule out the obvious first.
Archaeology
August is excavation season. Long daylight hours mean digs across Britain are often at their busiest, with discoveries emerging almost daily – from Roman villas and medieval cemeteries to Bronze Age hoards and prehistoric ritual landscapes. If you’re visiting an excavation, remember:
Take photographs.
Leave only footprints.
Never remove finds.
History belongs to all of us.
Book Recommendation
If you’re looking for something suitably atmospheric this month, Si’s recommendation is Iain M. Banks ‘The Player of Games’, perfect reading for those evenings when daylight lingers just a little longer than expected.
Summer may still be with us, but if you listen carefully you’ll hear it – the first leaves beginning to turn. The first blackberries darkening in the hedgerows. The first hint of woodsmoke carried on the evening breeze. August has always been a month balanced between abundance and uncertainty. The harvest promises plenty, but only if the weather holds. The nights are still warm, yet somehow quieter.
It’s a season of gratitude, tradition and watching the skies – whether for falling stars, strange lights or simply the first signs that another summer is slipping gently into memory.
However you spend it, may your harvest be plentiful, your paths be safe, and your stories be worth telling.
Sources
The Folklore Society
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (traditional Lammas and harvest customs)
Royal Museums Greenwich (Perseid meteor shower and moon names)
English Heritage
Council for British Archaeology
