What is Wassailing? Join This Ancient Winter Tradition Across Somerset

January is often considered the gloomiest month of the year. Without the festive cheer of Christmas or the early hints of spring in February, its long, cold, and dark days can drag on. But centuries ago, our ancestors found joy in the heart of winter through the age-old practice of wassailing.

Wassailing is a traditional folk ritual from England’s West Country, designed to wake apple orchards from their winter slumber and promote a bountiful harvest. Participants—known as wassailers—would sing, toast the trees with cider, and create lively noise by banging pots and pans to drive away evil spirits. Celebrated in the 17th century by poet Robert Herrick, he wrote:
“Wassail the trees, that they may bear / You many a plum and many a pear / For more or less fruits they will bring / As you do give them wassailing."

Today, the wassail tradition is enjoying a revival across Somerset, offering local communities a festive midwinter event full of music, merrymaking, and cider.

Annabelle Macfadyen, a performer at a Frome Wassail event, describes it as “a lovely midwinter community event where children and adults participate in an ancient tradition of wassailing the apple trees.” She explains, “We wake the trees with noise from pots and pans, offer toast soaked in cider, and then celebrate with song and mulled cider in hand.”

Here are some of the best Wassail events happening in Somerset this winter:

Chard Museum and Heritage Centre hosts its Wassail on Sunday, January 18 at 5:30pm. The free event features traditional wassailing, Morris dancing, music, and a town crier, along with mulled cider and apple cake.
Frome’s spectacular Wassail takes place behind Whatcombe Road at 1:30pm on Sunday, February 8. Participants are invited to bring pots and pans to rouse the trees. Mayor Anita Collier calls it “one of Frome’s favourite community events” that warms hearts despite the chill.
Somerset Rural Life Museum will hold a Wassail on Saturday, January 17 from 7 to 10pm in the historic Abbey Barn, over 700 years old. Tickets are £18.50 for adults and £15 for children, available online.
Rich’s Cider Farm’s Wassail supports Musgrove Park Hospital, featuring a performance by the Skimmity Hitchers. Tickets are £15 and must be booked in advance.
Bere Cider Company presents a free Wassail with live music and mulled cider on Saturday, January 10 from 6pm to 11pm.
Midsomer Norton gathers on Saturday, January 31 at noon outside the Town Hall, with a cheerful procession to the Town Park for Morris dancing, a theatrical play, and wassailing. The event is free, with apple cake and cider to enjoy.
Mid-Somerset Showground salutes spring on Wednesday, January 14 from 7 to 10pm with hearty food, cider, a bonfire, and the crowning of a Wassail Queen. The wassail ceremony is free; food and entertainment cost £15.
Shoemakers Museum at Clarks Village hosts a Wassail on Sunday, January 18 from 2 to 4:30pm. Admission is free with a museum pass (£12), which also grants 12 months’ re-entry.

Reviving this lively custom offers a cheerful antidote to winter dullness, bringing communities together to celebrate nature’s cycles and the promise of spring through song, tradition, and cider.