Title: Wassail
Location: The Jubilee Wood, Great Gidding
Start Time: 19:30
Date: Thursday 16th February 2017
Time we had another Pagan adventure in the Jubilee wood to celebrate a Wassail. This is an old English custom of celebrating the imminent arrival of spring. As the days start extending in daylight so thoughts turn to how to prepare for spring seeding whether in the cereal fields or the fruit orchards. The Wassail is an expression of looking forward and banishing the winter blues. In the Great Gidding version of a Wassail we mix and match in a modern terminology. We give a nod to the fruit orchards of the south west where Wassailing is still practised in alight hearted way and we also adapt our celebration to include the mixed farming areas of the eastern regions.
Timeline
Light the bonfire of trimmed hedge clipping at 19:30hrs, feel the heat and warm up.
19:45hrs find an unsuspecting apple tree and perform a Gidding Wassail.
20:00hrs assemble by to the bench seat at the entrance to the wood to hear any prose, rhymes, tales written especially for the event. The theme “Enjoying the Jubilee Wood”
It can be serious, light hearted, mischievous, rude, coarse (after all we are being Pagan)
Retire to bonfire for warm up.
The Wassail will conclude at the Fox & Hounds at your convenience. As it is a Thursday you are invited to bring a food item befitting a Wassail to be consumed after light hearted judging at the pub. This will be the weeks “Foodie Thursday” theme that is so popular at the Fox & Hounds. Sweet or savoury, it doesn’t matter and if its not your thing please don’t worry about it.
And……….fancy dress or pagan attire or just a silly hat or a mix of all three.
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