Cider and animal bones in a ritual for bountiful apple crop

A cider bowl passed around and animal bone costumes danced a jig as a crowd gathered to wish good health to apple trees in a revival of the ancient UK tradition of wassailing. Once a pre-Christian ritual, wassailing has experienced a resurgence, with participants celebrating the land and the environmental processes that sustain it.

Cordelia Roberts, Marine Biologist, Hackey Wassail Attendee said "I think there's a big movement at the minute for particularly within the UK, to reclaim some of the lost pagan histories that are around, and to be able to let people to engage with in a community spirit, with the land that is theirs and and to engage with an environment that means that they can understand how processes happen, environmental processes that actually bring prosperity and you know, are fruitful to us as as humans."

The tradition, long overshadowed by Christian practices, has grown in popularity as many in the UK seek to reconnect with their pre-Christian heritage. As England’s long-standing Christian identity has limited opportunities for celebrating its native myths, people have turned to rituals like wassailing to rediscover a sense of connection to the land and its natural rhythms.