Wassail...

A procession of fifty people, noisily walked through the village and down to the orchard on Saturday, 21st January for the first Painswick Wassail. The villagers taking part carried lanterns and banged drums to wake the trees up from their winter slumber. In the orchard a large fire roared, whilst the 'Green Man' John Rhodes, wassailed the largest and most bountiful tree in the orchard, toasting it with cider and hanging bread on it's branches. On one of the coldest nights of the year, the mummers arrived and performed a traditional play about St. George and everyone warmed themselves up with a warming stew. 

Coming to an orchard near you...

The Apple Core presents...

WASSAILING

in Painswick

at 6pm, Saturday 14th January 2012

• Join in a lantern lit procession from The Painswick Centre, at the heart of the village, down Beech Lane to the Orchard. 
• Wear fancy dress, a woodland animal perhaps and bring drums, whistles, pots and pans to bang and scare away any evil spirits! 
• There will be a traditional ceremony followed by a mummers play & music
• Delicious food for sale and sample some of the new seasons cider made by the members of the Painswick Community Orchard Group. 

further enquiries 01453 812879/813779

What is wassailing?

The Wassail Queen drinks to the health of the tree, picture by Bill Bradshaw taken from the Guardian website

Wassailing is the tradition of drinking and singing to the health of your trees and is a very local custom. This is an extract taken from the book 'England in Particular' by Sue Clifford and Angela King, Common Ground RRP. £30.

"The word 'Wassail' comes from the Anglo-Saxon waes-haeil - to be healthy, so wassailing apple trees was a way of encouraging a good crop in the following season. It usually took place after dark on Old Twelfth Night, 17 January, but could also occur on other days around Christmas and the New Year.

Often farm workers and villagers carrying lanterns, a pail and pitcher full of cider, shotguns and horns, walk to their local orchard, which is sometimes lit by bonfires, and gather around the largest or most prolific tree. This tree is known as the Apple Tree man and is feted as the guardian of the orchard. Cider or beer is poured on its roots and pieces of soaked toast or cake put in branches for the robins - guardians of the spirits of the trees. Often the tips of the lowest branches are drawn down and dipped into the pail of cider.

The wassailers fill their earthenware cups with cider and toss it into the branches. They then refill their cups and drink and sing to the tree. To drive away evil spirits and wake up the sleeping trees, cow horns are blown, trays and buckets beaten and shotguns fired into the upper branches - as much noise as possible is made.

The wassail bowl went round from house to house in the evenings during the Twelve Days of Christmas and often in the last days of Advent. A mixture of hot ale, sugar and roasted apples, sometimes with eggs and thick cream floating on it, was known as Lamb's Wool in Gloucestershire, and was also drunk on St Catherine's Day, 25th November. The bowl was made from turned ash or maple, often elaborately carved and kept for the purpose."

Gloucestershire Wassail Song...

Wassail, wassail all over the town!

Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown;

Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;

With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee!

Drink to thee, drink to thee, 

With the wassailing-bowl we'll drink to thee!

So here is to Cherry and to his right cheek!

Pray God send our master a good piece of beef,

And a good piece of beef that may we all see;

With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee!

And here is to Dobbin and to his right eye!

Pray God send our master a good Christmas pie,

A good Christmas pie that may we all see;

With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee!

So here is to Broad Mary and to her broad horn!

May God send our master a good crop of corn,

And a good crop of corn that may we all see;

With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee!

And here is to Fillpail and to her left ear!

Pray God send our master a happy New Year,

And a happy New Year as e'er he did see;

With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee!

And here is to Colly and to her long tail!

Pray God send our master he never may fail

A bowl of strong beer! I pray you draw near,

And our jolly wassail it's then you shall hear.

Come butler, come fill us a bowl of the best

Then we hope that your soul in heaven may rest

But if you do draw us a bowl of the small

Then down shall go butler, bowl and all.

Be here any maids? I suppose here be some; 

Sure they will not let young men stand on the cold stone! 

Sing hey O, maids! come trole back the pin,  

And the fairest maid in the house let us all in.

Then here's to the maid in the lily-white smock 

Who tripped to the door and slipped back the lock; 

Who tripped to the door and pulled back the pin,  

For to let these jolly wassailers in. 

Wassail! Wassail all over the town! 

Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown; 

Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree; 

With the wassailing-bowl, we'll drink to thee! 

Drink to thee, drink to thee,  

With the wassailing-bowl we'll drink to thee.

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