Crosstown Community Orchard held its second annual Wassail on January 14th.
Wassail is an ancient mid-winter tradition. The word comes from the Old Norse salutation, ves heill, meaning ‘be in good health’. When performed in orchards, it is to scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest for the year ahead.
We are grateful to the many who contributed to its success this year.
The event took place around sunset, with local artists entertaining the crowd with dance, music and poetry. Two morris sides, Mersey Morris and Bollin Morris, performed a selection of their lively traditional dances, including Cotswold and Longsword styles.
Michael Gibson gave us a solo tune and original orchard-related poems.
Mike Wilding with his musician friends played traditional tunes and led the Wassail song:
Young apple tree, we wassail thee
And hope thou wilt bear.
For the Lord doth know where we shall be
till apples come this year.
For to bear well and to bloom well, so
Merry let us be.Let’s all of us take off our hats
And shout to the apple tree!
YOUNG APPLE TREE! WE WASSAIL THEE!
AND HOPE THAT THOU WILT BEAR
HAT-FULLS, CAP-FULLS, THREE BUSHEL-BAG-FULLS!
AND A LITTLE HEAP UNDER THE STAIRS!
HIP HIP HORRAY!
The town’s Mayor and Mayoress, Mike and Kate Houghton, officiated with the best Wassail hat competition and the event’s culmination – the toasting of the tree.
The Town Crier, Julie Mitchell, kept everything running along with her flamboyant proclamations.
Our food and drink – homemade soup and cake, and mulled cider from Dunham Press – was served by volunteers from Knutsford Hosts, and Sister Barista set up a coffee pod outside the orchard to provide alternative refreshments.
Thanks to everyone who participated – helpers and visitors. We look forward to doing it again next year.
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