Twelfth Night Wassail Celebration

Wassailing the trees occured on old "twelfth night", the 12th night after Christmas eve, or January 17th on the old calendar. Obviously traditions varied, but in Devonshire, Herefordshire and in other parts of the West Country of England (as well as elsewhere no doubt) families would hold a feast with cakes, cider and in some areas beer and ale too. After a time of eating and drinking everyone trooped out to the orchard to wassail the trees, and wake them up from winter for the coming season as well as scare off any bad energy, spirits or demons.

Ale, beer or cider soaked toast, in some areas special cakes, would be placed in the tree branches or in a fork of the tree, and then be splashed with more cider. Trees might be beaten with sticks, pounded on, pots and pans clanged, and in appropriate eras, guns that had been loaded with just powder (no shot) would be fired at the trees.

While this went on, others in the group bowed their heads and sang the special "wassail song".

VARIATIONS INCLUDE" apple tree, we'll wassail " And hoping thou wilt " The Lord does know where we shall " To be merry another year. " blow well and to bear " And so merry let us " Let every man drink up his " And health to the old apple " ( Spoken ) " now, hat-fulls, three bushel bag-fulls, " ole-fulls, barn's floor-fulls, " heap under the " Hip Hip Hooroo ( 3 times )

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Books in PDF format to read:

Howard Phillips Lovecraft - The Evil Clergyman
Robert Bruce - Treatise On Astral Projection

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