Music / wassail
South West’s biggest wassail expands to two-day festival
A wassailing event that has become the biggest of its kind in the region is back this year with an extra day added due to popular demand.
Wassailing, a seasonal tradition dating back to Anglo-Saxon days in which groups gather in orchards to sing and bless the trees for a good harvest in the year to come, is taking place in community gardens and orchards across the city this month.
The Barley Wood wassail freshens up the custom with a festival style programme combining traditional music and folklore with contemporary acts, street food and fire performers.
Hosted in its walled garden by Barley Wood Cider, a traditional cider maker in Wrington that supplies Bristol Old Vic, Tobacco Factory and the Canteen among others, the event has previously appeared in National Geographic magazine.
Due to high demand, with 300 attending Barley Wood Wassail and at least the same wanting to attend each year, the usual one-day event will now take place on both January 24 and 25 – photo: Dom Garnham
Its increasing popularity over the years has encouraged the hosts to expand the activities to span a whole weekend.
“Barley Wood Cider’s Wassail is such an important event for the community to gather together in mid-winter to sing, cheer, raise a glass and bless the apple trees for a healthy harvest,” said co-owner Joel Jenkins. “After last year’s sell-out, it’s great to be able to expand into two nights so that everyone gets an opportunity to enjoy the celebrations.”
A procession through the orchard and traditional wassail ceremony will be led by storyteller Martin Maudsley, the author of Telling the Seasons who appeared on BBC6Music for last year’s Apple Day.
Maudsley established the Bristol Storytelling Festival as well as long-running music and storytelling night Folk Tales and, a trained ecologist, is well known for his land, nature and season-based stories and celebrations.
Maudsley’s ceremony may well include the traditional customs of pouring cider on the roots of the apple trees and hanging toast in their branches to help wake the trees and scare away evil spirits – photo: Dom Garnham
Live music will be provided by Blues/funk/rock and roll outfit Sam Ballantine and the Whiskies, and DJ Dan of longstanding indie clubnight Propaganda will be behind the decks.
Barley Wood’s own fresh-pressed Somerset ciders and apple juice will be available alongside hot mulled drinks and cocktails, with the first 100 guests through the door each day receiving a free cider.
Wassails taking place closer to home in the next two weeks include:
Redcatch Community Garden, January 17
Heartwood Chorus are a much-loved fixture at community events – photo: Barry Savell
An afternoon of family activities at the friendly garden in Knowle, including crown making from foraged foliage, singing with Heartwood Chorus and Secret Wednesday Choir, a procession and dancing with Heaps Morris.
Hillfields Community Garden, January 17
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The garden arm of the resident-led charity in east Bristol have planned an early afternoon event with singing, hot drinks, Morris dancing and merry making.
Horfield Organic Community Orchard, January 17
In Horfield, the Apple Lady helps to lead the ceremonial aspects of the wassail including pouring cider round the roots of the tree – photo: Jamie Carstairs
“Join us to raise the spirits for a fruitful new year!” say the orchard’s guardians. The Apple Lady kicks off proceedings, followed by Pigsty Morris bringing their ‘fleet foot and good vibrations’. Mulled juice and homemade cakes for sale, for cash.
Magpie Bottom Nature Reserve, January 17
The inaugural Kingswood community event includes nature crown making, the usual ceremony (BYO pots, pans and sticks), and Rag Morris on the footwork. The song of the day will be the Gloucestershire Wassail: song sheets provided.
Manor Woods Valley Orchard, January 25
Attendees are requested to bring pots and pans, “and anything that makes a lot of noise!” to join with the tradition of creating a cacophony to ward off evil spirits and wake the trees from their winter sleep. The Hartcliffe and Withywood Community Choir provide the music, and the apple juice and cake is free.
Before that, Bristol Avon Rivers Trust are holding a volunteer day to clean up the stretch of the Malago in the Manor Woods Valley Nature Reserve. Help build dead hedges using organic brash material and litter pick the river bank, from 10am on January 24.
Toast is placed in the branches of trees and cider poured around their roots in the traditional wassail ceremony, before communities celebrate with singing, dancing, eating and drinking – photo: Forest of Avon
Another led by the masterful Martin Maudsley, raising funds for refugee charity Aid Box Community. Parade by torchlight from Abbots Leigh village hall to Far Orchard, help crown the Wassail King and Queen and toast the trees in the traditional style. Visitors are encouraged to wear something green.
Main image: Dom Garnham
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