Wassail! wassail! all over the town, our toast it is white and our ale it is brown. ~Old English Song
Wassailing, which started in the medieval villages of old England as a way to ward off evil spirits and bless the future apple crop, is alive and well in the mountains of Virginia. All you need to enjoy this ancient rite is a ticket and a merry heart.
Kirk Billingsley, the owner of Big Fish Cidery in Monterey, Virginia, hosts a wassail each February. What began in the basement of his home is now a merry event for fifty lucky ticket holders.
The party begins with live music and a rousing toast before the names of a king and queen of the night are picked out of a goblet. The newly crowned monarchs then lead revelers by torchlight to an old orchard tucked on the edge of town. There’s a blessing and an evil spirit appears. The mob chases him away with a great rumpus which wakes a sleepy tree spirit who thanks them for their service to the trees. Then, the king anoints the roots of the oldest tree, while everyone else hangs cider-dipped pieces of toast in the gnarled branches. The evening ends with a big bang as a muzzle loader is discharged into the sky and everyone wanders back to the cidery to raise a glass of wassail to the night.
If you would like to join the fun, 50 tickets go on sale in early December. For more info: bigfishcider.com.
The story above first appeared in our November / December 2022 issue.
