Yarlington Wassail facts for kids
The Yarlington Wassail is a special old tradition held in the village of Yarlington, which is in Somerset, England. This event, called a Wassail, has been celebrated for a very long time, since the 1600s! It's a fun way to celebrate apple trees and hope for a good harvest.
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What is a Wassail?
A Wassail is an old English tradition. People gather to sing and make noise. They do this to wake up the apple trees. They also want to scare away any bad spirits. This helps make sure the trees grow lots of apples. These apples are then used to make cider.
History of the Yarlington Wassail
The Yarlington Wassail was not held for many years. But in January 2012, a group called the Brue Valley Rotary Club brought it back. They wanted to keep this old village tradition alive.
How the Wassail Happens
The Wassail starts outside the local pub. This pub is called the Stag's Head Inn. People gather there with music and dancing. The Wyvern Jubilee Morris Men perform lively dances.
Then, everyone makes a lot of noise. They walk in a procession to a nearby apple orchard. In the orchard, they sing a special song. It is called the Wassailing Carol.
A special person, the Wassail Queen, takes part. She places pieces of bread soaked in cider into the oldest apple tree. Then, some cider is poured around the base of the tree. This is like giving the tree a drink. After that, a loud bang is made into the night sky. This is to wake up the trees and scare away anything that might harm them.
Everyone then enjoys warm mulled cider or apple juice. After this, the procession goes back to the pub. The Wyvern Jubilee Morris Men perform a Mummers Play. This is a traditional folk play. The evening ends with a tasty meal. It is usually pork with apple sauce. For dessert, there is apple crumble with custard.
The Wassailing Carol
During the Wassail, everyone sings this special song:
Old apple tree we wassail thee
And hoping thou will bear
For the Lord doth know where we shall be
'Till apples come another year.
For to bear well and to bloom well
So merry let us be
Let every man take off his hat
And shout to the old apple tree
Old Apple tree we wassail thee
And hoping thou will bear
Hat fulls, Cap fulls
Three bushel bag fulls
And a little heap under the stair
There is also another song. It is simply called the Yarlington Wassail.
