Around 70 villagers gathered in Edington recently to take part in the annual wassail tradition, aimed at waking up the apple trees for a fruitful year ahead.
The community enjoyed mulled wine and apple cake while being entertained by Edington Brass and the White Horse Morris dancers.
“The ceremony began with toast being placed in the apple tree to feed the birds, particularly the robin, which is traditionally regarded as the guardian of the orchard,” said resident Liz Pike. “This was followed by the symbolic awakening of the tree, which involved giving it a good beating and a drink of cider made from the previous year’s crop.
“The last act is to scare off any evil spirits by making as much noise as possible,” Liz added. “We finished with a good sing of wassail songs, led by Andrew King.”
Pictured: Villagers trying their hand at Morris dancing, Beating the tree, Edington Brass performing
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