Old apple tree, we wassail thee,
And hope that thou wilt bear
Hatfuls, capfuls and three bushel bagfuls
And a little heap under the stairs!
We are standing around a little crab apple tree by the side of Wiveliscombe village hall, singing our hearts out between the car park and the high street. It’s Old Twelfth Night, and in the orchards and gardens of the West Country, people are banging pots, swilling cider, hanging bits of toast in trees and yelling “wassail!”.
Wassailing is a cheerfully messy business – a somewhat moveable pagan feast that can happen any time in the weeks following Christmas. And around here, each place has its own distinct style and flavour. The wassail in Wiveliscombe is more for children, starts and finishes early, and is sweet and charming. It’s a pleasingly makeshift event, organised by a small juicing cooperative called Brendon Orchards, which, despite its name, has no orchard of its own.
A few miles away at Sheppy’s – one of Somerset’s largest cider producers – wassailing is a highly organised, ticketed affair. My local one in Wellington is more rowdy, taking place in the Swain’s Lane orchard and nearby pub, with Morris dancing, a dragon and a local character called Mr Double Danger the 2nd.
The contrasts continue: in Wiveliscombe, you gently pour a little juice at the base of the tree. In Wellington, you take a mouthful of cider and spit it. In Wiveliscombe, you make a racket to awaken the slumbering spirit of the orchard – a capering crone with spiderweb parasol and green velvet cape. In Wellington, the cacophony is more to scare away the mawlscrawls – mischievous sprites who might blight next year’s crop.
However you wassail, the intention is the same: to thank the trees for the last year’s harvest – 2025 was an absolute bumper – and to fire up the sap for the next. Singing not about the trees but to them is a delightful confirmation that we and they exist in a relationship, with all the give and take that that entails: toast for the lucky-omen robin, libation for the roots, fruits for the juicing, and the gift of a song. How d’you like them apples?
• Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian’s Country Diary, 2018-2024, is available now at guardianbookshop.com
