On Saturday 31st Jan 2015 (2.30 – 4.30pm) Caldecott Meadow, behind South Abingdon Children’s Centre, will see the revival of wassailing in Abingdon. Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers will lead the festivities round the new apple trees.
You are asked to bring along:
- your pots and pans and wooden spoons to make a lot of noise
- ribbon and wool to dress the trees
- a plastic bottle to make your own shaker
- a jar to make your own fire lantern
In other towns and villages the tradition of wassailing the Apple Trees – some time in January – still continues, and was intended to produce lots of apples the following season by pouring some of last year’s cider on their roots. Read more at Here We Go A-Wassailing.
On this occasion the cider will be apple juice because it is an alcohol free family wassail.
Wassailing is always great fun (unless you’re too-cool-for-school) and a great community ‘lift’ in the dark days of winter.
Possibly an opportunity to practice old Ab’donian en-masse?
I do hope that somebody will sing the Gloucestershire Wassail – even though it’s from another county!
Come, butler, come fill us a bowl of the best,
then we pray that your soul in heaven may rest;
but if you do draw us a bowl of the small,
then the devil take butler, bowl and all.