On Friday 23rd February, Kennet Valley Primary School pupils participated in a wassailing ceremony at White Barrow Farm. Wassailing is an annual tradition of blessing orchards to ensure a good harvest for the year to come. This Anglo-Saxon celebration, involves music, song and dancing.
Kennet Valley teacher, Jacqy McQue, told Marlborough.news, “The idea of the wassailing is that everyone wears bright clothes and silly headwear and makes lots of noise to bring brightness and joy into the dark months of winter.”
Sarah Jago, owner of White Barrow Farm, gave the children a brief summary of the history and purpose of Wassailing. The children then processed, banging drums and bells, up the fields to the orchard, singing the Wassail song. They were led by the Wassailing Kings (the oldest and youngest children in school). They carried a basket dressed with flowers, filled with slices of bread, and one of the younger children also carried a hobby horse (the Oss).
At the orchard’s chosen tree the children gathered round whilst the Wassail Kings dipped a slice of bread into the apple juice in the Wassail bowl. The dipped slice of bread was then placed into the branches of the tree whilst Governor, Angharad Hughes and Governor and Lay Minister, Sibella Laing, recited the traditional blessing:
Apple tree, apple tree
I do Wassail thee
To grow and to bear
Cup fulls, hat fulls, 3 bushel bags full
In the ground, may your roots grow strong
In this place may you stand long
May they that honour you, take well of your bounty
I give you the toast in your praise
Wassail, Wassail for all your days
Then Angharad Hugues and Sibella Laing sent the spirits away by saying, “Now we jolly boys and girls as one, have one last thing that must be done. Raise the bowl, Wassail the tree, of all bad spirit make it free.” At that point the children all had tremendous fun and made lots of noise with their instruments and tools. This was followed by a dance beside the tree by Devizes Morris dancers and a procession around the orchard and down the field to the barn.”
Back at the barn there were further blessings by Angharad and Sibella, more dancing and performances that each class in the school had prepared. After the final blessing everyone enjoyed delicious homemade apple cake and apple juice.
Sarah Jago said, “How lovely to have the farm filled with colour, dancing and music. I suggest we make this an annual event.”
Head-teacher Katie Mallinson said, “As well as being enormous fun, the Wassail also marked the start of another way in which we will be taking the children’s learning outside the classroom over the coming year.”
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