If you happen to be in the Westcountry in early January, you might be surprised to hear singing, loud banging and even gun shots emanating from the local orchard. Don’t worry. It’s unlikely to be a riot, but more likely to be the riotous celebration of a wassail. If you’ve never been to one, we wholeheartedly recommend you take a closer look.
History of the Wassail
According to Wikipedia, Apple or Orchard Wassails (which are different to the house-visiting wassails that were eventually replaced by Christmas carolling) have been around for centuries, with the first written record in 1585. The term ‘wassail’ dates back even further, to Anglo-Saxon times. The tradition developed in the cider heartlands of the South West and East where farmers and cider makers, keen to secure a bountiful fruit harvest, engaged the locals to join their pagan ceremony. Typically held on or around the Twelfth Night (5th or 6th January) or Old Twelfth Night (“Old Twelvey”, 17 January), the evening would involve toasting the health of the trees and frightening away evil spirits that might harm them. The party, which usually included a Wassail King and Queen, would visit all the orchards in the area, singing, banging pots, firing guns and drinking as they went.
Celebrating our Orchards
At Sandford Orchards, the wassail has always been a key date in the cider making calendar and one that we feel passionate about supporting. Although we’re open to any help we can get in the harvest department, our wassails are no longer about trying to secure a great crop in the autumn. We see it more as an opportunity to celebrate our fabulous orchards and to reconnect people with nature. It has never been more important for people to understand where their food and drink comes from, its place in the wider ecosystem and how it is affected by climate change. Orchards provide an unparalleled larder for wildlife, they preserve soil health and act as fantastic carbon sinks. We need more orchards in this world and wassailing is a great opportunity to get more people to appreciate them as much as we do.
Community Spirit
Wassails are also an ideal time to get the local, and wider, community together. It is a chance to get everyone off the sofa and away from technology. January can be a dark and dreary time with Christmas behind us and spring still a long way off, so a wassail is the perfect excuse for some fresh air and to catch up with friends and neighbours. It’s usually a very jolly affair that appeals to the whole family. Kids can run wild in the dark whilst the adults enjoy a mulled cider.
What to Expect
Each wassail will differ from the next but there are some key elements that most include.
According to the National Trust, most wassails start with the revellers gathering for a procession down to the orchard, often led by a wassail King or Queen and accompanied by singing or the clashing of pots and pans. The ceremony focuses on one tree which has a piece of cider-soaked toast placed in its branches and cider poured around its roots. Often the cider is contained in a special wassail bowl. There are blessings and traditional songs, sometimes Morris dancing and always a wassail drink or two, which is usually apple-based.
Where to Wassail
There are some stalwart communities that have preserved their wassail across the centuries but, in many places, they fell out of popularity in the same way that the spread of orchards across the countryside declined. However, there has been a resurgence in the last decade, fuelled by an interest in local traditions and a rise in community orchards. They are no longer confined to the South West with wassails springing up across the country everywhere from the plantations of historic country estates to brand new inner city orchards. The Tradfolk Wassail Directory offers a handy guide to help you find one near to you and we encourage you to brave the cold and the dark and head out for a night of festivities.
