Tonight the Compost Family went to The Big Apple Wassailing. For those who don't know, Wassailing is where you go into an apple orchard on or near 12th Night, and bless the trees and scare away evil spirits and ask the trees to be fertile and give lots of fruit in the coming year. You do this by pouring a libation of cider around the trees and making a noise ( tin cans, drums and, in our area, shotguns fired up into the trees...) also cake or toast is soaked in cider and put in the branches of the central tree. Bonfires also feature in the ritual.
Around here we have our own version, we have a torchlit procession to the chosen Orchard,
The Wassail Ceremony
Me lighting one of the 12 bonfires in a circle around the central Apple Tree.
Fire poi.
A dead Dragon
Reviving those slayed by St George...The Dragon, The Black Prince and The Egyptian King...miracles worked by The Doctor!
Then we all go back to the pub/house/ barn to drink cider, eat hot pork and apple rolls and watch the Morris men perform a Mumming.
Its wonderful.:-)
It was stunning here tonight, the New Moon and Venus and all the stars in the sky were so clear... like jewels...Where we are we have minimal light pollution so were able to see loads of stars, and Compostgirl stopped and stargazed for a long time and was able to point out various constellations which was impressive for a 10 yr old....!
I love where we live!
Amazing Id love to do this. I wonder when the right time for this is in the Southern hemisphere...also could i gather anyone to do it with me!!
ReplyDeleteLove cherry
Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteWill have to show the children at school this! Thanks for putting on the photos.
megan x
How wonderful. Simply delightful. I wish we could do things like that here but the neighbors just wouldn't understand.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely evening. I wish there had been something like that around here, but I haven't seen any Mummers since I lived in Dorset. Wassailing my own apple trees alone doesn't have the same appeal somehow!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant pix - it was the Leominster Men again then? This is the same gig they did for us on the 6th. Must come to the Big Apple one next year. If you're free on 17th - Old Twelvey Night - come to our local Side's wassail at The Yew in Preston-on-Wye.
ReplyDeleteThe Leominster side do all the Big Apple events for us, Blossomtime, Apple Day and Wassailling.
ReplyDeleteWill keep 17th in mind and you must come over here to Blossomtime on May Day!
This looks fun! Is there some chant or prayer?
ReplyDeleteLOve these photos - looks like great fun!
ReplyDeleteI make hot Wassail drink over Xmas from an old recipe I have
I'm afraid I'm not very conversant with the Celtic world. Why is the bonfire lit and immediately quenched? And are there songs or chants for the general attendees to participate in while all this beauty is ongoing?
ReplyDeleteHi just found your blog. Love the wassailing pics. Seems like a fun tradition, not one we have here in Ireland
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of this before. What a fun ceremony.
ReplyDeleteWe went to one a couple of years ago when we lived over by Evesham. It was a pub owned by the national trust with their own group of morris men! A really great night, glad you enjoyed yours!
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