The steam jet rises with a shit while the red hot poker dies into a bowl of cider. A woman with a wool performs a piece of toast with a long fork and brings an offer among the branches of the tree. Then, in the midst of shouting at the viewer, a ceremony illuminated by torches ends with a shot that rang under a pure night winter sky.
Most of the year Sheppy’s Farm in Bradford-on-on in the West of England uses top machines to form 22,000 apple trees and produce more than half a million liters of apple cider a year.
But for one evening in January, modern agriculture techniques are separated for an ancient ritual called “wassailing”, where the blessed apple crop is blessed, evil spirits are expelled, and the cider is enthusiastically hundreds of spectators.
Use from at least the 13th century, Wassailing (the word originates from old English toast to good health, “waes hael”), it seems that in the 1990s it was almost extinct.
But recently, he returned to the producers of cider and community events, especially in the West of England, encouraged by the growing interest in tradition and folklore, renewed respect for the village and the desire of some Britons to revive the dark winter months with entertainment.
“Wassailing has fallen aside for a long time and has had a huge revival,” said Louisa Sheppy, co -owner of Sheppy’s, a company that makes apple cider for more than two centuries, because she has prepared a company farm for her seventh, consecutive year of the Wassail host (one of the dozen who who is advertised in the region this winter).
Mrs. Sheppy is not superstitious and does not really believe – as a tradition holds – that the fate of the crop depends on the annual Wassail. But she appreciates an event, which attracts more than 400 guests who pay, promote cider and contain folk dancers known as Morris men and lively dance.
But before dancing, visitors joined the song aimed at two trees for the first time, asking them to give “hatfuls, caps, three bags of bags”, from Fruit. Then the evening “Queen of Wassail” (which symbolizes fertility and abundance) tasted heated cider, soaked a piece of toast into it and poured the rest around the root of the tree.
Wearing a crown of ivy, a misctoa, a mistletoe hellebore And Rosemary, the Queen used a toasting fork to place bread in branches – a gesture intended to attract Robins, which are considered to be a spring spring – before the rifles were discharged to chase malicious spirits.
Although her evening went smoothly, she was not stressed for Sheppy’s 2025 Wassail Queen, Em Sibley. Drinking cider cider was fine (“Oh, God, it’s really good, sweet and delicious,” she said) and thus poured it around the tree.
However, he was more prepared to soak the toast in the cider, without becoming moist, and then turned him a long fork into the branches of the trees without sending a piece of bread.
“You don’t want to execute it – just in case,” said Mrs. Sibley, a Sheppy’s employee, alluding to the possible celestial consequences of the rituals that were supposed to guarantee a crop.
“When everything goes wrong and the harvest fell and we didn’t get as much apple for a year as normal,” said Mrs. Sibley, “you don’t want to be the one who thinks’ Oh curse: it could have been toast!”
Once the Christmas or New Year’s tradition is now usually held around January 18 or later.
The ceremonies developed over time, according to Ronald Hutton, professor of history at the University of Bristol, who comes out with the first recorded Wassail in the 13th century, when friends stood a large wooden bowl with alcohol in the circle.
Someone would drink and call “Waes hael” – to be good – and the rest of Horvava would “drinc hael” or drink well, he said, adding that it could go down to a medieval drink.
“You would continue to transfer the Wassail bowl from hand to hand and take yourself while the host decided enough – or people gradually overturned and the winner remained standing,” said Professor Hutton, author of the book English folklore book.
By the 16th century, a relationship with agriculture was established, and farmers sang and blessed the bee hives, fruit trees, crops, sheep and livestock to encourage a rich harvest.
Interest in Wassailing in the last century, Professor Hutton said, “with the growth of gardening and fertilizer, better knowledge of how trees and farms work and fall in beliefs that singing on your trees or fields actually does everything right. ”
As he was about to wear his multicolored costume, Mike Highfield, 64, Morris dancer And the master of ceremonies at Sheppy’s, where he gives visitors tour, they welcomed the re -establishment.
“We should celebrate our culture because the Jabukovac was in one stage of England,” said Mr. Highfield, adding that the night brings people over the drinks that, apart from his low alcohol version, is usually ranged from 4 percent to 7.5 percent alcohol.
“Once you let go of your hair and scream at an apple tree – and you shout and sing – you start talking to people because you lose some of your inhibitions,” he said.
One viewer, Matthew Mudge, 62, a church musician from Cardiff, Wales, said he had been wanting to attend Wassail for decades. “It’s a fantastic tradition. I’m sorry it took me so much time to come here,” said Mr. Mudge as he enjoyed the apple cider after the ceremony, adding: “They all had drinks and may have lived for six centuries.”
In the village of Midsomer Norton, about 50 miles, 100 people or something, for an event in the community, to make a local park in the local park. Instead of the Queen, local children helped place pieces of toast in branches. Trevor Hughes, 70, Morris dancer, who led the ceremony, said the tradition never disappeared here.
“We always worked Wassail at this time of year. He may not be advertised, maybe there were only local rural events, but he never really died,” he said. Recently, he added, “There has been a WASSAILS explosion because it’s a simple laughter.”
Although the party is irrefutable because of Wassailing, does anyone think really protects the crop?
“The rationalist in me says,” Of course not, how he could do that, “said Professor Hutton, who spends Sunday afternoon with friends in his garden, singing on his trees on several drinks.
However, he noted that his apple tree “never barred until I was the first time.” “Adding:” Since then, he wore bumper crops every year. “
