Page 159 - WDT Winter 2018 japan

Woo the Wood

Story and photos by
Amy Laughinghouse

nebriation, ammunition, a blazing
bonfire, and a beauty queen. Throw
in a healthy dose of pagan mysti-
Icism and barrels-full of cider, and
you, my friend, have got the recipe for
one rockin’ wassail, as I discovered on
a visit to Somerset, England one wintry
January night.

What, you might well ask, is a wassail,
other than a health and safety inspec-
tor’s knee-knocking nightmare, com-
bining alcohol, flames and firearms?
It can refer to a form of Christmas
caroling, but in the UK’s West Coun-
try—counties such as Devon, Dorset,
Somerset, Gloucestershire and Here-
fordshire—a wassail usually denotes a
lively fete held in an orchard on Twelfth
Night, which can be interpreted as ei-
ther January 5 or, for those who prefer
the old Julian calendar, January 17. The
ritual dates back to at least the 1800s,
but its roots (ahem) are likely much
deeper. The term “wassail” means
“good health” and may have originated
as early as 1,000 years ago.

Amy pours a pint of cider from a tap
affixed to an apple tree. It doesn’t
get any fresher than that.
Top: The Wassail Blues Band belts out
tunes like “Mustang Sally.”

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