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Wassail Celebrations in Stoke Gabriel

 Stoke Gabriel villagers gathered together for the ancient ceremony of apple tree wassailing this weekend. 

The lantern procession, Morris dancing, folk singing, story telling, home produced cider and home cooked fare gave the evening a real mediaeval feel.

Everyone gathered in the darkness lit only by lanterns made from willow and coloured tissue paper.  Locally produced mulled cider and apple juice was on offer along with home cooked pasties, soup, apple cakes and a barbeque to keep the starry winter’s cold night air at bay. 

The custom of wassailing has become an annual event in the village calendar and this year there were over 500 people who came to take part.  “I think it’s our most successful Wassail yet” said Cathy Mittler, organizer of the event, “Everyone had a fantastic time.  The weather was kind to us and it’s great to keep this old tradition going”. 

The word wassail comes from the Anglo Saxon greeting “Wæs hal!” meaning “good health”. It became a toast using a goblet or cup of spiced ale or punch.

Traditionally, old twelfth night is when the oldest or best apple tree in the orchard was chosen to be wassailed or toasted, in order to ensure a good crop of apples for that year’s harvest.

Harriet Magnani, aged 10, and Anna Mittler, also aged 10, from Stoke Gabriel primary school, were the elected Wassail Queens who led a procession of lanterns to the community orchard.  They enacted the old custom by pouring cider over the roots of the oldest apple tree and put toast soaked in cider in the branches, to feed the robins, spirits of the trees. 

Everyone gathered around the tree sang the traditional wassail song as a blessing to bring fruitfulness.  The dramatic finale was the firing of shot guns to chase away any evil spirits and to wake the tree spirit from its winter slumber.

 Afterwards there was folk singing by the Global and Wild Harmony singers, a mummers’ play, or mediaeval pantomime, performed by the Bovey Tracey Mummers and then story-telling by Clive Fair-weather from Harbertonford, carried on late into the evening at the Victoria and Albert pub.

The whole event was organized by local parents.  Over £800 of the money raised goes to Stoke Gabriel primary school for interactive whiteboards and the other money raised goes to the local scout group.

By Julie Goodall ( of Stoke Gabriel)

23rd January 2006

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