The tradition of wassailing is thought to predate the Norman conquest in 1066. The purpose is to appease the cider apple trees and to scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest of fruit in the Autumn.
The Wassailers sing and make noise; often banging on pots and pans to scare off evil spirits then, and depending on the local customs; hot spiced cider or ale, is served from a special wassail bowl - meaning ‘good health’ in Anglo-Saxon, the wassailers may offer a libation to the trees before toast soaked in the hot drink is offered as a gift to the tree spirits, and hung amongst the branches. Various techniques are used to execute the skill of hanging wet toast such as - using very crisp toast, pouring the cider over the toast once hanging, or nestling soggy toast in and on branches instead of hanging.
Wassailing may also see people calling door to door offering wassail the tiding and wassail the drink to all inside! Wassailing is thought to have inspired such festive traditions as mulled wine, mulled cider and possibly even the practice of ‘Raising a Toast’ to others! inspired by real toast!
