A HEREFORDSHIRE pub will hold its annual wassail with cider very much on the agenda.
Wassailers will be gathering at The Crown Inn for the Woolhope Wassail at 5pm on Saturday, January 21, ready for the torchlit walk to the orchard at 6pm.
Wassailing is the ancient tradition of blessing trees in the hope of promoting a good harvest for the next cider and perry season and warding off bad spirits from the orchard.
This Anglo-Saxon custom is said to date back many centuries and is still a lively and treasured tradition across cider and perry-making counties today.
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Celebrations vary, but typically involve a lively, torch-lit procession to the orchard where revellers gather round the biggest tree to sing and create lots of noise to ward off bad spirits.
Everyone is invited to join in the fun as the apple trees are blessed and the spirits invoked.
Great food is expected, a great atmosphere and a great night for all the family, said a spokesperson from Eat Sleep Live Herefordshire.
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