Orchard Wassail Jan 2012...
Images by Lorraine Winser
The word Wassail is derived from the Saxon greeting ‘Waes Hal’, meaning literally, ‘good health’. This old English custom of Wassailing was originally performed to encourage a good crop of apples in the year to come. Gifts of toast and cider were given to a chosen tree in the orchard and the tree was saluted with a poem and wassail songs, encouraging it to fruit well. Firecrackers or noisy tin cans are often used to scare away evil spirits and to awaken the tree from its winter slumber.
Wassailing is an ancient traditional winter custom which may well date from pre-Christian times.
The scene is set, fire started, very frosty starry night
completes the ambience
Traditional Wassail make-up face decorations are part of the scene
Wassail song sheets are handed out
The Mummers get ready to join in
Apple cakes and delicacies are consumed along with mulled
cider and orchard apple juice to limber up the vocal chords
Zoe our resident Flautist tunes up to lead the Wassail singing
Cork hats might have been part of the pre christian Wassailing tradition but we cannot immediately confirm that !
Bread gifts are placed on the trees during the ceremony
© All image rights on this webpage retained - © Lorraine Winser 2011/12
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