40 Before 50: Wassail

I know, I know, I am now 50 but it was on my list (as are a number of other things that I haven't actually got round to yet). If you don't know what a wassail is, it is a rural tradition in cider making where the orchards get blessed so that they produce a good harvest that year. There is a good link here on the history.

I attended the Wassail event put on by Sheppy's Cider, near Wellington as it is just a few miles from my home. I wasn't planning on attending alone, but circumstances meant that I did. I will be honest that I didn't feel very comfortable at a participatory event on my own, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Given that I was born and still live in Somerset, it is somewhat shameful that I have got to the age of 50 without attending one! As in all rural customs, they involve some slightly strange and a little Wicker Man-esque practices!

The festivities began with a lovely warming dinner of beef stew whilst the Morris dancers jigged around the farmyard. In the adjacent barn, the beautiful long-horn cattle were enjoying a night inside.

As you can imagine, there is a Wassail Queen and the tradition is that the garland headdress is passed to the new queen each year. The ceremony was performed and a chant was spoken and we were then led in a torchlit procession to the orchard.

In the orchard, the Wassail Queen is given some cider in a two-handled cup (and bizarrely a frog had got into the cup at this point); she takes a sip, then pours some cider around the perimeter of the tree. She then carefully places a piece of toast in the tree and we all sing the Wassail song. At the conclusion of the song, everyone makes a lot of noise to scare the bad spirits away, and shotguns were fired.

Love Mrs Jones x

Apologies for the blurred photos - clearly not really got the knack of taking night photos yet!