Wassailing events promise cheer in the depths of winter

January is often seen as the bleakest part of winter.

- Phoebe Hobbs

Unlike November and December there isn’t Christmas to look forward to, and unlike February the promise of spring still feels out of reach.Long, cold, and dark, January is a maligned time of year. But what if our ancestors once made merry in the darkest depths of this month, raising a glass of cider to the spring ahead?

Enter wassailing. A West Country folk tradition harking back hundreds of years, wassailers used to toast the health of orchards to ensure a bountiful spring.

Then they would drink, dance, and make merry. In the 17th century, the poet Robert Herrick celebrated the tradition with the verse: “Wassail the trees, that they may bear / You many a plum and many a pear / For more or less fruits they will bring / As you do give them wassailing”