Ravilious wassailing in the orchard. © Alex Lee

Anyone who ordered a print from me towards the end of 2020 will have been subject to the delays afflicting the Royal Mail before Christmas. Entirely understandable delays, of course, albeit frustrating.

One casualty was my annual Christmas card, as my card stock arrived too late. Instead of sending out a delayed Christmas image* I turned to another seasonal tradition with a more local flavour.

Apple Wassailing: first recorded in Fordwich (Canterbury’s ancient port) in 1585. A ceremony performed in the depths of winter to bless the orchard and encourage a successful harvest.

How might one perform one’s own wassail?

Find an orchard.
Bring some bread (or toast), mulled cider and, ideally, some friends of a similar inclination.
It will be cold, so warm up by singing wassailing songs (see playlist below) and consuming some of the mulled cider.
Hang bread (or toast) from the apple trees and pour mulled cider on their roots.
Find the oldest tree in the orchard - this is known as the “Apple Tree Man” - and make a particular fuss of him.
Enjoy a bountiful harvest come September.

* What did I draw for the original Christmas card image? The subject of the Venezuelan song “Mi Burrito Sabanero” (My Little Donkey of the Savannah), with nods to Thierry Martin (who in turn tips a cap to Moebius).

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Wassailing