Wassailing

Wassail comes from the Olde English waes hail meaning be well

Wassail is a drink of ale seasoned with honey and spices, often served from bowls of pewter or silver. The bowl was passed around with the greeting Wassail

 Apple trees were wassailed to in order to ensure a good crop the following year. Villagers would fire guns and bang pans together in order to wake the sleeping spirit of the tree and scare away the demons

There is often a wassail queen who places a piece of toast that has been soaked in cider into the tree, and then cider is poured around the tree. This was to repay the tree for what it had produced during the year.

Whilst songs sung to the tree were to encourage it to do well in the coming year

It is also believed the soaked toast was for the robins and wrens -who were connected to the spirit of the tree

Bees and cattle could also be wassailed