Neither was it a FESTIVAL...for the coming year/crops.
THE WICKERMAN used many ancient customs, such as MORRIS DANCERS, which for me, because I knew all about that, when I first saw the film, was WONDERFUL!
THE LOTTERY was actually far more about just HOW crazy/lefty and relatively insular, when Jackson lived there, was.
I read THE LOTTERY when I was quite young, fell in love with her style and then read EVERY book and short story she had written; but did NOT know about her first forays into writing, which were family and "happy" tale...until I read her bio. What a shock and an eye opener THAT was.
I don’t recall ‘young virgins’ being sacrificed in either movie.
You might enjoy Professor Ronald Hutton:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT9ijbQiB2w
*chop, chop
😁