What is a Wassail?
Early in bleak January, when the fieldfares fly low over the last of the sodden seed heads and leafless trees cast cobweb silhouettes against cold, blue skies, we summon the spirit of the Green Man to the orchard in the hope that with enough cajoling, he might bless the fruit trees with a bountiful crop come Autumn.
The word wassail comes from the Anglo-Saxon ‘Waes Hael’ meaning ‘good health’, and the tradition of gathering in the orchards was first recorded as far back at the mid 1500s. Wassailing for us has become an essential part of what it means to be a cider maker; if the promise of a decent haul of fruit wasn’t enough, the opportunity to foster community at the same time as sprinkling a bit of magic on the darkest month of the year is impossible to resist.
How to hold your own Wassail
1.Choose a tree
Traditionally this would be an apple tree but if you don't have one then we believe any tree can benefit from the ceremony! We like to tie red ribbons into the tree's branches- the ceremony is all about making the tree feel special so go to town with this!
You can also dress up yourself- find some foliage and stick a bit in your cap!
Tom as the Green Man at the Artistraw Wassail
2. Give thanks
Here's a traditional Wassailing poem that you could recite.
Old apple tree, we wassail thee
And hoping thou will bear
For who knows where we all shall be
At apples time this year.
For to grow well and to blow well
And merry all let us be.
Let everybody take off their hat
And sing to the old apple tree!
A bit of call and response is always fun as well! If you have a Wassail leader, they can shout 'Wassail!' to which the assembled Wassailers should raise a glass of mulled cider to the tree and bellow 'Drink Hael!' in reply.
At our wassail we hang a slice of toast in the tree's brances and pour some cider at the roots. The idea is that the orchard birds will eat the toast and the in return keep the pests at bay in the Spring. The cider is to feed the roots and promote a bountiful harvest in the Autumn.
3. Light a fire
This can be a bonfire if you've space or a lantern will do just as nicely if not. The point is to invite some light back into the dark nights and bring forth the spring!
4.Sing a song
No wassail is complete without some music! We've written our own lyrics to accompany a popular wassailing song called 'Wassail, Wassail all over the town'. To hear the tune, have a listen to Lydia's favourite version of the song, performed by Blur.
The Artistraw Wassail Song
1. Wassail! wassail! All over the town,
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;
With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee.
2. And here’s the to the trees in this very orchard,
Gathered from far and daily nurtured;
The apples they bear, will make cider to share
At our jolly Wassail, sip drinks quite rare
3. Here's to cider, culture, community,
Fight evil forces by showing some unity,
Join hand in hand –let’s get “Back to the Land!”
At our jolly wassail, we’re a merry band!
4. So here’s to the fungi and to rich brown soil,
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;
With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee.
2. And here’s the to the trees in this very orchard,
Gathered from far and daily nurtured;
The apples they bear, will make cider to share
At our jolly Wassail, sip drinks quite rare
3. Here's to cider, culture, community,
Fight evil forces by showing some unity,
Join hand in hand –let’s get “Back to the Land!”
At our jolly wassail, we’re a merry band!
4. So here’s to the fungi and to rich brown soil,
It’s much happier left without human toil,
It can grow what you eat, right under your feet,
At our jolly wassail, you’ll receive your treat.
5. Here's to the river and all who dwell near her,
Let’s stop the pollution with poultry manure,
Let’s regenerate, before it’s too late,
With my wassailing bowl I drink to spate.
Let’s stop the pollution with poultry manure,
Let’s regenerate, before it’s too late,
With my wassailing bowl I drink to spate.
6. And here is to Poo-ka our sweet Mari Lwyd,
Give her a pat, she’s as old as the Druids,
She may look quite stern, but for friendship she yearns,
At our jolly Wassail, soon the bonfire will burn!
7. Farewell to Jack Frost, take cold Winter with you,
It’s time for green shoots and the season of renew,
It’s time for green shoots and the season of renew,
Organically grown, are the seeds we have sown,
At our jolly Wassail, Jack’s rule overthrown
At our jolly Wassail, Jack’s rule overthrown
8. Wassail! wassail! all over the town,
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;
With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee!
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;
With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee!
'Caution Horses' play some tunes around the bonfire at the Artistraw Wassail
5. Pour yourself a cider!
We like to serve hot mulled cider at our wassail. Our recipe is as follows:
Ingredients (makes approx. four mugs full):
1x 75cl bottle of natural cider
200ml x organic apple juice(or more if you like it sweeter)
1x satsuma studded with cloves
1x cinnamon quill
2 or 3 pieces of star anise
Method
Combine all of the ingredients in a big pan and heat gently over a medium heat being cafeful not to let the liquid boil. Take off the heat just as the mulled cider starts to simmer and serve.
If we're feeling particularly decadent we add a 25ml shot of our cider brandy to the mixture as well!
6. Have fun
The most important thing about a Wassail is to enjoy it. There are no rules and the celebration is open to interperation and the power of your imagination!
Wassail! Drink Hael!
