Wassail! : The Pickled Ginger

I’m sitting here, looking at my keyboard wondering where I can begin with this blog post. It’s not as if I really knew what a wassail was myself before Friday, when Manchester had it’s first in the city centre.

I mean, I knew in principle. A group of people gather to sing, to toast with cider (or mulled cider/variations thereof) to the health of the trees in the orchard. It’s something far more common to cider country – Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, not really Manchester city centre on a Friday night.

But on 17 January (Old Twelvey Night), a group of us, spearheaded by Cider Buzz Manchester, The Orchard Project, Dunham Press Cider, and ably assisted by The Marble Arch, did just that. For in One Angel Square, Manchester has an orchard. Just. Ish. They are but saplings, but there are 10 apple trees, which makes it an orchard.

We began at The Marble Arch. Where after a cider or two, we reluctantly put down our glasses, and put our coats back on. We walked, nay paraded through Angel Meadow to Angel Square – led by lanterns, music and the Milltown Cloggies. Oh and if anyone shouts wassail at you, you reply with Drinc hæl (drink and be healthy)!

Much to the bemusement of passers by. Over on the Square, there was a selection of cider, including a very welcome mulled cider from Dunham Press, which kept both my fingers, and my tummy warm.

The music struck up, and the Cloggies danced – it was odd. I’ve seen Morris Dancers perform and always felt a little disconnected from it. Like it’s an old English tradition I can’t feel affinity with. Clogs on the other hand doesn’t feel so odd. To be honest, it kinda looks like fun. Maybe it’s the stomping, or just my Northern blood, but it feels more… Normal?

Despite the cold, smiles were wide and cheeks were pink.

They finished to the sound of cheers and applause. And it was our turn – no not to dance, but to sing.

Given my poor vocal quality, I didn’t record that bit. You’re welcome.

Finally, for the more ceremonial element. A Queen needed to be found, because the queen would both soak toast to be hung in the trees, and soak the roots of the trees with cider. The idea being to chase away bad spirits from the orchard and encourage good ones into it, thus ensuring a good harvest for the year ahead.

In all seriousness, it’s entirely possible that these elements, the toast in the trees, and the cider on the roots of the trees would encourage bacteria and or biodiversity (insects in particular) to the orchard.

Given how polluted and overbuilt our city is, these little trees need all the help they can get.

Our queen chosen (using a method similar to the tossing of a bouquet at a wedding), she was crowned, and climbed the ladder so she could soak the toast in cider, and anoint the tree with cider too.