We Are Organising a Wonderful Wassail

ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST

WE ARE ORGANISING A WONDERFUL WASSAIL

Following the success and popularity of our village Wassail in January this year, we are now organising a wonderful Wassail and blessing of the village community orchard in January 2027. The date will be confirmed in the next issue of What’s On and the village Facebook group.

The wassailing tradition in Wales is a vibrant celebration of the ancient orchard blessing ritual. This tradition, which has roots in pagan customs, involves a procession of people banging pots and pans to wake the trees and ensure a good harvest. The event is often accompanied by live folk music, Morris dancing, and the presence of the Mari Lwyd, a tradition involving a dressed horse skull and accompanying characters. The event not only honours the health of the trees and crops but also celebrates the community’s well-being and resilience.

Etymology

The word “Wassail’ comes from the Old English phrase “was hál” meaning “be well”. On either Twelfth Night (5 or 6 January) or Old Twelfth Night (“Old Twelvey” 17 January), men would go with their wassail bowl into the orchard and proceed about the trees. Slices of bread or toast were laid at the roots and sometimes tied to branches. Cider was also poured over the tree roots, and sometimes over the toast. The ceremony is said to bless the trees and encourage them to produce a good crop in the forthcoming season.

For our village Wassail, we will have a procession through the village, accompanied by the Pontypridd Mari Lwyd, from the park to the Community Orchard. We will bless the apple trees with cider and song and then return to the village for merriment, storytelling, warming drinks and apple cake. Storyteller Cath Little (pictured) will tell an old folktale from Somerset reflecting this custom which tells of the Apple Tree Man, the spirit of the oldest apple tree in an orchard, and in whom the fertility of the orchard is thought to reside.

This family friendly event is being organised in partnership with the Wenvoe Wildlife group.

Further details and timings will be confirmed in the December issue of Wenvoe What’s On, and the village Facebook page.

Claire Brabban