Wassail Celebration at Fenland Orchards
Sat 31 Jan
|Fenland Orchards Project
Join the ancient English winter tradition of wassailing, bless the apple orchards through dance, merrymaking and music for a good harvest ritual.
Time & Location
31 Jan 2026, 14:00 – 18:00
Fenland Orchards Project, Lynn Rd, Wisbech PE14 7AP
About the event
Who is this for?
All ages are welcome to attend. Any access requirements? Contact creativefenlandinfo@gmail.com in advance.
When: Saturday 31st January 2026
Time: join us at any time between 2 PM to 6 PM
Where: Fenland Orchards Project, Lynn Rd, Wisbech PE14 7AP (next to Wisbech Community Farm)
A wassail ceremony is an ancient English tradition with origins around 600 AD. Celebrated especially in cider regions, it is focused on blessing apple trees for a good harvest, involving noise (pots, songs) to scare evil spirits, pouring cider on roots, placing toast for robins, dancing (often Morris), and drinking spiced cider.
The name comes from Old Norse for "good health," evolving from general health-wishing to specific orchard rituals.
At the same time, at the other side of the globe, ancient Andean cultures hosted Pachamama ceremonies (tributes to Mother Earth), which share several similarities with wassailing as both are ancient, nature-based traditions focused on ensuring agricultural fertility and expressing gratitude through offerings and community rituals. Both involve pouring drinks on the roots of trees and into the ground, in the Andes it is Chicha, a corn based drink.
Both practices are rooted in a belief in reciprocity with the earth's spirits & the importance of community.
As part of celebrating this connections our English traditions share with other cultures around the globe - cultures that now share a bond with the Fens thanks to the residents linked to other places in the world - we started a series of activities to create wassail bowls (traditionally wooden) but this time we made them of clay, same way it was done in South America by ancient cultures that used the coil method to make bowls for the Pachamama ceremonies.
But now we are putting on an event to celebrate these connections and at the same time preserve wassailing, an activity deeply embedded in heritage
What to expect:
A bonfire, music by local musicians & bands, dancing, cider and apple drinks and most of all: a united community sharing a wonderful space in the capital of the Fens.
Please wear warm clothes and preferably welly boots.
This event is possible thanks to Fenland Orchards Project and CPL Trust.
