Whimple Wassail on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Whimple Wassail is an orchard-visiting
Here's to thee, old apple tree,
That blossoms well, bears well.
Hats full, caps full,
Three bushel bags full,
An' all under one tree.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Apple tree prosper, bud, bloom and bear,
That we may have plenty of cider next year.
And where there's a barrel, we hope there are ten,
That we may have cider when we come again.
''Chorus'':
With our wassail, wassail, wassail!
And joy come to our jolly wassail!
A-wassail, a-wassail! The Moon, she shines down;
The apples are ripe and the nuts they are brown.
Whence thou mayest bud, dear old apple tree,
And whence thou mayest bear, we sing unto thee.
(Chorus)
Oh Mistress and Master, our wassail begin,
Please open your door and let us come in;
Besides all on earth you'll have apples in store;
Pray let us come in for 'tis cold at the door.
(Chorus)
''The verses sung at each homestead'':
Come fill up our wassail bowl full to the brim,
See, harnessed and garnished so neat and so trim,
Sometimes with laurel and some times with bays,
According to custom, to keep the old ways.
(Chorus)
Now for this gold liquor, to us, that you bring,
We lift up our voices and merrily sing,
That all good householders, long may they remain,
And long to continue the same to maintain.
(Chorus)
The Whimple History Society
Festivals in Devon {{England-stub
The Whimple Wassail is an orchard-visiting wassail
Wassail (, , most likely from Old Norse ''"ves heill"'') is a beverage made from hot mulled cider, ale, or wine and spices, drunk traditionally as an integral part of wassailing, an ancient English Yuletide drinking ritual and salutation ei ...
ceremony which takes place in the Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
village of Whimple
Whimple is a village and civil parish in East Devon in the English county of Devon, approximately due east of the city of Exeter, and from the nearest small town, Ottery St Mary. It has a population of 1,642, recounted to 1,173 for the villa ...
annually every Old Twelfth Night (January 17).
The Whimple Wassail was first mentioned by the Victorian author and folklorist Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould
Sabine Baring-Gould ( ; 28 January 1834 – 2 January 1924) of Lew Trenchard in Devon, England, was an Anglican priest, hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist, folk song collector and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1,240 ...
in his book ''Devon Characters and Strange Events'' (published 1908).
Later in 1931 the Whimple Wassail was given further mention in the Devon & Exeter Gazette describing how the Wassail was hosted at Rull Farm, Whimple by a Mr and Mrs Reynolds.
The ceremony stopped during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
but was revived by the Whimple History Society in 1993 and has grown into a very popular tradition
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
, attracting visitors from all over the country.
The Whimple Incantation
Before placing cyder-soaked toast in the branches of the tree, the queen says the traditional Whimple Incantation:The Wassail Song
After the incantation is read, The Wassail Song is sung around the tree:External links
The Whimple History Society
Festivals in Devon {{England-stub