We held our first Wassail at the Community Garden in January 2023. A Wassail has its roots in pagan rituals, we blessed the trees in the food forest for a good harvest. The wonderful ceremony involved welcoming the good spirits and scaring away the not-so-good spirits to keep the trees in good health throughout the year and produce a good harvest.

Everyone embraced the traditions and made plenty of noise, banging pots and pans to scare away the not so good spirits. Wassailers sang and soaked stale toast in apple cider to hang from the dormant trees, which is considered to be a way of attracting the friendly spirits! The atmosphere was very special with our very own Graham Kearton leading the procession through the garden, lit up by lanterns, beautifully made by volunteers.

Shedquarters provided a cosy and welcome shelter from the rain where Wassail outfits and headdresses could really be appreciated and Wassailers enjoyed a Morris Dance demonstration. Volunteers had supplied homemade cakes and biscuits, mulled cider and apple juice, which all went down very well!

Thank you to all those that came out in the rain to bless the trees and be merry together.

One thing is for sure, Wassailing will now be an annual event!

Check out our short video from the evening