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As winter rolls around and our fruit trees fall dormant once again, we are reminded of our orchard heritage. For centuries, especially in the South-West of England, communities would gather in their local orchard for the Wassail. The word ‘Wassail’ comes from the Anglo Saxon toast ‘waes hael’ – meaning ‘be well’ or ‘be in good health’.
This ceremony promotes the health of the trees and encourages a bountiful harvest, traditionally taking place around the old Twelfth Night (January 17).
In order to scare away evil spirits and to invigorate the trees, those celebrating the Wassail sing, play music, bang pots and pans, and generally make as much noise as possible! There are also often Wassail Kings and Queens who lead the noisy procession among the orchard trees.
As with many traditions, food and drink also form a significant part of the festivities – a wassail bowl is shared about, and the liquid flung at the trees. It is essentially a hot, mulled cider – perfect for those long winter evenings. Some people also hang a piece of cider-soaked toast into the trees as an offering for the birds.
Join us this month in celebrating our orchards at your local wassail, and perhaps even make some of your own (cider is the perfect base for your very own wassail bowl). The recipe below, which serves a good-sized group, is very simple, and could even be made with apple juice for those looking for a drink that packs less of a punch (pun intended!)
Mulled cider recipe
Pour in three litres cider
Add in one and a half chopped oranges – squeeze in the juice
Then add approx 1.5 cups of sugar (or to taste) + 25 cloves (if you find them too overpowering, feel free to cut back on the amount) + 1 teaspoon of ginger + 6 pinches of nutmeg + 2 teaspoons of cinnamon or 3 cinnamon sticks (depending what you have) + 10-15 juniper berries
Heat gently without boiling
There are many different types of Wassail songs and sayings across the UK, with one example below:
Apple tree, apple tree, we all come to wassail thee,
Bear this year and next year to bloom and to blow,
Hat fulls, cap fulls, three cornered sack fills,
Hip, hip, hip, hurrah,
Holler biys, holler hurrah!
⁃ Traditional Wassail incantation
There is no right or wrong way to Wassail – just go with the flow and do what feels right for your community. Regardless of how you celebrate, it’s a perfect excuse to get out in nature and mark the season!
Are you near Manchester? We have a wassail coming up here later this month.
