I just learned from Kimberly Christensen that the neighborhood has a tradition of wassailing to bless the apple trees. It appears to have been working well as the trees continue to produce fruit for City Harvest. This Saturday you can join in the wassailing and add to next year’s harvest. The details from Kimberly follow:
Wallingford’s own Sound and Fury Morris Dancers invite you to Meridian Park on Saturday, January 11, to Wassail the apple trees.
Photo courtesy of Doug Plummer
Wassailing is an English tradition in which a community’s apple trees are blessed through singing, dancing and the scaring away of malevolent spirits. Wassails happen early in the new year, when the trees are waking from their winter’s sleep and need encouragement to grow and bear much fruit. Wassails are also participatory – attendees will be encouraged to make loud noises to scare away the evil spirits, to sing an apple song which the Morris dancers will teach, and to offer blessings to the apple trees (Plenty of rain! No worms!). This event is free and family-friendly.
We’ll meet, rain or shine, on the west side of Meridian Playfield near the apple trees. The event runs from 2:00-3:00 pm on Saturday, January 11.
