Wassail 2007 at the new venue at Middle Farm was a fantastic success.

Read more about how Wassail 2007 went

History | Wassail 2007 | Download Wassail Poster | Interactive Map

Wassail Song | Wassail Chant | Wassail Photos

History

Wassailing is an ancient traditional winter custom which may well date from pre-Christian times. The ceremony involves a form of sympathetic magic in which the apple tree receives a libation of cider punch in order to encourage a good fruit crop later in the year. Firecrackers and/or guns are often used to scare away evil spirits and to awaken the tree from its winter slumber.

The word Wassail is derived from the Saxon greeting ‘Waes Hal’, meaning literally, ‘good health’. The earliest written record of wassailing, or ‘howling’ as it was sometimes referred to in Sussex was at Horsted Keynes in 1670, where the rector recorded giving the ‘howling boys’ 6d on 26th December.

Wassail 2007

Hundreds of you joined us for an evening of dance, music, flaming torches and celebration! Thank you - you were fantastic!

• Morris dancing started at 6pm with Hunters Moon and guest dancers including Wild Hunt , Mythago and Wolf's Head & Vixen .
• Many of you joined our torchlight procession down to the orchard where we lit the Bonfire with the torches.
• We sang our Wassail song and listened to the chant. Then we performed the Apple Tree Blessing ceremony and everyone shared a glass of cider punch. Thanks for giving some back to the tree to help it grow in the coming year!
• After the ceremony we returned to the Barn where there was a bar, Mummers, tunes, songs and a Barn Dance. There was also wonderful soup and rolls, plus home-made burgers and local sausages grilled on the barbecue - thank you Middle Farm!.
  
  Middle Farm ran the bar for the evening. They house the National Collection of Cider & Perry which was available as well as our local Champion beer, Harveys of Lewes.

<<<Download the Wassail '07 poster (PDF, 1.5mb)

Wassail Song

Now Christmas is comen, and New Year begin
Pray open your doors, And let us come in.
With our wassail, wassail, wassail,
And joy come with our jolly wassail.

This ancient house we will kindly salute
It is an old custom you need not dispute.
With our wassail, wassail, wassail,
And joy come with our jolly wassail.

We hope that your apple trees will prosper and bear
And bring forth good cider when we come next year.
With our wassail, wassail, wassail,
And joy come with our jolly wassail.

We hope that your barley will prosper and grow
That you may have plenty and some to bestow.
With our wassail, wassail, wassail,
And joy come with our jolly wassail.

Good Mistress and Master how can you forbear
Come fill up our bowl with cider or beer.
With our wassail, wassail, wassail,
And joy come with our jolly wassail.

The Wassail Chant

Oh apple tree we honour thee
In hope that you will bear
The blessed fruit of Avalon
At harvest time each year.

Each golden apple you bring forth
A gift to Aphrodite
Has at its heart a pentacle,
The symbol of her mystery.

Your blossom heralds Springtime
Your leaf brings Summer shade.
Let Samhain’s* harvest cup be filled
With cider freshly made.

When Winter’s cold envelops you
In wind and rain and hail
Then we’ll return each year to bring
Our grateful thanks WASSAIL!

*Samhain, an old word for Halloween
is pronounced sow-ayne

For more information about this, and future years Wassails contact:

Heather - Bagman
Bagman Contact Form
Tel: 01323 769848