January 05: Apple Howling Day

Apple Howling Day

Several places in Southern England celebrate Apple Howling Day by men visiting apple orchards after sunset. They place bread or cake on the roots of the oldest tree. Then, they pour cider around the tree and over the roots. Singing and chanting follows to bless the orchard. Finally, they whack the tree with sticks and shout to “wake up” the tree. In some places, the order is reversed. They do this to bring about a plentiful crop. Apple Howling is also known as Apple Wassailing or Wassailing the Apple Tree.

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⇴ image from Glyn Baker, wikipedia, (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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