PHOTOGRAPH ANDREW MONTGOMERY
Welcome to the wonderful world of wassailing! One evening each year in mid-January people in our village head outdoors to sing and stomp our feet, bang on pots and pans and shout to the night sky. Oh, and our Village Queen and Green Man hang toasted bread in the branches of an apple tree as an offering, then we dance round it. In nonpandemic times, this ancient tradition, which dates back to Anglo Saxon times, gives us the perfect excuse to throw a party in a quiet month. We celebrate the beautiful local apple trees with a spicy hot mulled cup (the wassail) based on cider or apple juice, and steaming bowls of homemade soup.
This year, of course, everything is different, but my family and I are determined to keep the custom going even though it’s just us – a fun thing to focus on when there’s not much opportunity to celebrate. We’ll still wassail, but we’ll be in our own garden, blessing our elderly, still-productive apple tree.
You might like to do the same and, depending on the rules when the time comes, perhaps meet up with one or two others outside. If you don’t have a suitable tree to bless, buy in some beautiful British apples, make a display of them in the garden to dance around (maybe light a fire too) and make sure you have plenty of hot wassail cup (see right) to wrap cold hands around. The celebration is about driving away the gloom and bringing a shot of mid-winter cheer - and don’t we all need a bit of that?