by “How many have never been stuck before?” asked the man in the ivy crown. Half of those sitting around the fire raised their hands. “Well, this is a country fire,” said our master of ceremonies. “We need some virgins.” On a cold January evening we were dragged from our houses to stand in an orchard, singing to fruit trees.
Fencing, long practiced in Britain’s cider heartland, is no longer mainstream, but interest in the centuries-old tradition is growing. At an orchard situated above Bath’s Avon Valley, I attended my first ceremony on Saturday. I’ve been curious about it for years and it seems I wasn’t alone. As we approach 2024, people will be gathering not only in Somerset and Kent but also in the likes of Brixton and Birmingham.
It is a Twelfth Night tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages, and is derived from the Old English “was hál”, meaning “good health”. Traditionally, there were two types of wassail. One of them involved roasting an orchard, hoping for a good harvest, and the other involved going to a house to toast its inhabitants, in return for punch or ale. The orchard bee was prevalent in some corners and now appears to be fully emerging.
Lorna Knapman, who runs Richard Hudson’s Dick Willows cider farm, follows the wheel of the year, an ancient calendar, and gets a kick out of serving naturally fermented products that connect them to the land. At her hillside farm, we mulled cider as storyteller and author Martin Maudsley sat around a bonfire, regaling us with tales of the legends of the remains. Martin enjoys wassail because it brings communities together. “The pub is great for friends, and Christmas is great for the family,” he said, “but the wassail is about seeing your neighbors and getting ready for the year ahead.”
Those who came to the bath liked the idea of celebrating the connection of the community and the person with nature; values that some feared would be lost in modern Western society, where technology and globalization can leave people isolated and distrustful.
There is no better way to break the ice with strangers than passing around the wassail cup – a large bowl of sloshing cider. Those who were so inclined took a slurp, then we gathered to sing under the oldest apple tree on the farm. Decorated in ribbons, the tree’s roots were doused in cider and slices of cider-soaked toast hung from its branches (“The birds love that in the morning”). “Drinking stones” were thrown overboard on “underground” calls.
“Wassailing is a winter festival,” explained Martin. “It is time to return to the earth and stand with the trees when they are cold, baked and dormant.” He thinks people can learn from an orchard in winter. “Apple trees need frost in order for their leaves to form properly,” he said. “Landing called vernalization. For humans, if we run through Christmas and don’t think about spring, we haven’t done anything. It is really radical and rebellious to send people out singing on a tree. We’ve had so much laid out for us in our lives – this gives us a break.”
Dyrham Park, in South Gloucestershire, is one of a small number of National Trust property planning campaigns this January, to help visitors engage with nature and the past. The house has a history of scrapping and has a 17th century scrapping bowl in its collection. On Saturday, while the musicians played, the children decorated sticks and led a noisy procession of up to 200 cattle through the pear orchard to an avenue of espaliered heritage apple trees, making a hullabaloo to scare away spirits.
General manager Tom Boden, the National Trust’s master of ceremonies, brought his fiddle. “It was a bit bonkers,” he said, “and an antidote to gray January. Children would love to see traditional instruments that they wouldn’t normally see, like concertinas and harpsichords.” He thought it was important to tackle the growth process and said the return of the waste water helped save some old fields. A number of smaller community orchards have also sprung up across the UK over the past decade.
Can waste help mend bonds in society too? As the gentlemen left Dick Willows, revived in the fresh air and made new friends, Lorna said that many had commented on the warm community in which they live. “It was great to see people of different ages coming together,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll see a really fruitful crop this year and everyone will know they had a part in it.”
The best launch events with tickets left in January
Gower Wassail Heritage Centre, Gower
13-14 January
Bless the Park Mill orchard with singing, live music, Morris dancing, a parade and cider revelry over two days.
gowerheritagecentre.co.uk
Wassail by candlelight, Lewes Saturday Folk Club, Lewes
13 January
Bring a branch from your own apple tree and some blessings during a ceremony at the Elephant & Castle. Enjoy a slice of Eleven Cake and a spicy old ale.
lewessaturdayfolkclub.org
Wassail Walk at Wimpole, Cambridgeshire
20 January – 25 February
Celebrate the produce of the walled garden, discover the traditions of the waste and learn about sustainable food and sustainable farming. Try some traditional rhymes, create a hullabaloo with noisemakers, and help welcome the birds and pollinators to spring.
nationaltrust.org.uk
Wasail tea time at Lyveden, Northamptonshire
20 January, 4.30pm-7pm
Visit Lyveden after dark for an evening of traditional manufacturing, with crafts to try and a mummers play to watch. Afterwards, a traditional wassail will take place in the orchard. Book tickets in advance.
nationaltrust.org.uk
Brixton Orchard Wassail, Brixton
January 20
Expect a song and dance performance for the public by the Brixton group Tatterjacks Morris and friends. Hot mulled drinks will be available.
Urbangrowth.london
Tudor Wassail, Michelham Priory House & Gardens, Sussex
January 20
Drumming and dancing will mark Twelfth Night, followed by a torchlight procession. The family-friendly event is followed by an adults-only event, with alcohol available. Bring a musical instrument or pots and pans, and decorate yourself with foliage and feathers. Advance booking is essential.
sussexpast.co.uk
Winter Wasail, Bodenham Arboretum, Kidderminster, Worcestershire
January 28
Starting at noon, Morris dancers will be playing traditional music. Dress up with ivy leaves and feathers and sing to the apple trees.
bodenhamarboretum.co.uk
