20th
January 2007, we set off to Wilkins Cider Farm in Mudgley,
Somerset, for the annual tradition of Wassailing, an ancient
ceremony carried out to bless the apple trees of the orchard
and ensure a good harvest for the coming year.
As
well as the druid blessing the apple trees, the night
also included the crowning of the Wassail Queen, a band
playing cider-related songs (including many Wurzels numbers),
cake, cheese and pickles, and all the warm and cool cider
we could drink fresh from the barrels they were fermented
in, ALL for a bargain £8! A brilliant night was
had by all.
Here
are some photos.
Left:
Steve and a random cider-drinking baby.
Above
& Below: The crowning of the Wassailing Queen.
Below
and Right: A crazed Wassailer does the famous picled onion
roll dance.
Left:
Nice toilet signs
Below:
Some ladies get so drunk at Wassailing they even hug Gingers!
Check
out more Wassailing pictures from our friends who
visited West Croft Cider Farm just down the road
HERE
To
learn more about what Wassailing is, our feature
on the 2005 visit to West Croft Cider Farm is HERE,
which includes a bit of a description to what is
actually going on.
