We are really excited that the fantastic Foodie Bugle has featured our article about wassailing...
Toasting a tree’s good
health and banging saucepan lids to ward away evil spirits, it might sound
peculiar, but this is the ancient custom of wassailing, and it’s taken quite
seriously around here!
Wassailing has been practiced for centuries, the tradition pre-dates
Christianity. The word “vas heil” is believed to originate from the Norse
language, and translated into the Old English “waes hael“ meaning “good
health.”
The custom is mainly celebrated in the cider counties of south east and
south west England; Kent, Devon, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire to
ensure a good harvest the following year. It takes place each year after dark
on Old Twelfth Night, which falls on the 17th January, later than we
celebrate today.
Traditionally the whole village would take part and would gather with
fire lit torches, walking to one or many orchards swinging pitchers of cider,
blowing horns and banging saucepan lids noisily to warn away evil spirits and
wake the trees from their slumber. The custom varies from village to village
but usually a song is performed, such as this example from ‘England In
Particular’ by Sue Clifford and Angela King;
Here’s
to thee, old apple tree
Whence
thou may’st bud and whence though may’st blow,
And
whence thou may’st bear apples enow.
Hats
full, Caps full, Bushel, Bushel, Bushel Sacks full,
And
my pockets full too!
Huzzah!
A king or queen leads the wassail, choosing the orchard’s most
bountiful tree and placing in the forked trunk some bread soaked in cider, a
gift to the robin, believed to be the guardian of the orchard. Cider, mulled
with sugar and cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg spices, is poured over the trees
roots to encourage growth, as well as drunk by the revelers, often in specially
crafted wassail cups or bowls. In Gloucestershire, it was tradition to drink
‘Lamb’s Wool’ a mixture of hot ale, sugar, roasted apples with cream or eggs
floating in it!
“Never to be forgotten,
that first long secret drink of golden fire, juice of those valleys and of that
time, wine of wild orchards, of russet summer, of plump red apples, and Rosie's
burning cheeks. Never to be forgotten, or ever tasted again.”
Cider with Rosie by
Laurie Lee
Nowadays wassailing is making a return to the countryside with local
community groups and cider producers reviving this ancient custom. Painswick
Community Orchard Group, in Gloucestershire, held their first wassail in 2012
with many curious villagers joining in:
“We founded the group after finding a map of the village dating back to
the 1800’s” said Iris McCormick, owner of the local B&B, “It showed how
almost every other field was an orchard and we were shocked to realise how few,
if any were still here today. It was important to us to bring this wonderful
tradition back so that future generations can enjoy it and value our orchard
heritage.”
According to a Mintel Oxygen Report (Feb: 2012) cider has seen a 67% increase
in sales between 2006 and 2011. This has resulted in growth for local cider
producers and seen an increase in small-scale artisan cider producers entering
the market. But times are hard, and this year the country suffered the worst
harvest for 15 years, with many trees failing to fruit.
Take part in the Painswick Wassail on Saturday 12th January from 5pm.
