Here we go a-Wassailing -- Again!

A costumed crowd making its way to a wassailing ceremony, where apple trees are sung to to ensure a good harvest.

Here we come a-wassailing Among the leaves so green; 

Here we come a-wand'ring So fair to be seen...

Love and joy come to you, And to you your wassail too; 

And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year 

And God send you a Happy New Year.

(over time these lyrics were changed to "here we come a-carolling')

I'm on a pause from snow-blowing and shovelling and huffing and puffing so writing a blog seems to be a sensibly sedentary activity. 

I've been thinking about one of those curious, ancient British traditions called wassailing that waned in the 20th century only to experience a resurgence in recent years. I have written about this communal ritual of blessing fruit trees in years past but a recent article in the New York Times intrigued me once again. Here is the headline and a couple of paragraphs: 

Toast, Trees and a Wassailing Queen: An Ancient English Ritual Is Back

The centuries-old tradition of wassailing is making a comeback in rural England, 

with rituals and revelry meant to chase away evil spirits and the winter blues.

The ceremonies have evolved over time, according to Ronald Hutton, a professor of history at the University of Bristol, who dates the first recorded wassails to the 13th century, when a large wooden bowl with alcohol was passed around by friends standing in a circle. 

Someone would drink and call “waes hael” — be well — and the others would chorus back “drinc hael” or drink well, he said, adding that this could descend into a medieval drinking game. “You’d carry on passing the wassail bowl from hand to hand and taking a slurp until either the host decided enough was enough — or people gradually keeled over and the winner was left standing,” said Professor Hutton, author of a book on English folklore.

By the 16th century, the link to agriculture was established, with farmers singing to and blessing bee hives, fruit trees, crops, sheep and cattle to encourage a bountiful harvest.

                                                        Terra Brockman and family wassailing

I first heard about wassailing as an activity in a Christian Century article from December 2018 called Why We Wassail. Terry Brockman, an American, author of The Season's on Henry's Farm and founder of The Land Connection. She describes heading out amidst the organic fruit trees with family to celebrate, an image I found quite intriguing. I contacted her and after our exchange I approached a local apple grower about the possibility of a wassailing event. He was on board but something cropped up (pun intended)... what was it?... ah yes, a pandemic. 

No doubt lots of participants get involved because its fun to play silly-buggers and have a party. I wonder, though, if there is a deeper yearning to reconnect with Earth-honouring traditions because of the mess we've made of the present. 

When I spoke with Dr. Holli-Anne Passmore a couple of weeks ago about her research on counter-acting anxiety through attention to the natural world we got on to the importance of re-enchantment,  a great term. Maybe there is hope for us as a species if we open ourselves to this possibility, in revelry and in awareness of Creation and Creator. Why wouldn't we bless creatures and crops? Wouldn't that be enchanting? 

Em Sibley, the “wassail queen," after successfully completing the ceremony at Sheppy’s farm in Bradford-on-Tone, England.