The Apple Wassail is a traditional form of wassailing practiced in the cider orchards of southern England during the winter. There are many well recorded instances of the Apple Wassail in the early modern period. The first recorded mention was at Fordwich, Kent, in 1585, by which time groups of young men would go between orchards performing the rite for a reward. The practice was sometimes referred to as "howling". On Twelfth Night, men would go with their wassail bowl into the orchard and go about the trees. Slices of bread or toast were laid at the roots and sometimes tied to branches. Cider was also poured over the tree roots. The ceremony is said to "bless" the trees to produce a good crop in the forthcoming season. Among the most famous wassail ceremonies are those in Whimple, Devon and Carhampton, Somerset, both on 17 January.
A folktale from Somerset reflecting this custom tells of the Apple Tree Man, the spirit of the oldest apple tree in an orchard, and in whom the fertility of the orchard is thought to reside. In the tale a man offers his last mug of mulled cider to the trees in his orchard and is rewarded by the Apple Tree Man who reveals to him the location of buried gold.
Video Apple Wassail
Traditional Apple Wassail rhymes
Maps Apple Wassail
See also
- Apple Day
- Wassail
- Wassailing
- Wish Tree
References
Sources
- Conrad Bladey Hutman Productions. "Traditions, songs and Rhymes of Apple Wasail". Archived from the original on 25 October 2009.
- The Stations of the Sun by Ronald Hutton
- Christmas Carols New and Old by Henry Ramsden Bramley and John Stainer (London: Novello, Ewer & Co., 1871)
- Apple Wassail Songs
Source of article : Wikipedia
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