Angry Orchard’s Annual Wassail Festival Brings You Back to the Days of Yore
Under the cover of darkness, guided only by starlight, over 200 people marched through an orchard. They carried torches and candles, wearing capes and holly wreaths. They rang bells to scare away the evil spirits and dipped toast in ale and hung it in the trees to feed the good spirits. Their voices rang out into the night: Wassail! Drink Hail!
This may sound like a long-lost ancient ritual, but this all happened on February 26th, 2022 at Angry Orchard’s Annual Wassail Festival.
Wassail was originally an Anglo-Saxon tradition, coming from the term waes hail, meaning good health. It was originally Pagan, the purpose being to wake up the trees to ensure a good harvest for the upcoming spring. It then evolved into a Christmas tradition, celebrated on the 12th Night of Christmas in the New Year.
The Angry Orchard’s modern day Festival was a little bit different from the 17th century tradition. The festival incorporated bluegrass music, and axe throwing.
As they entered the premises, guests were greeted and given a map of the premises, a small booklet filled with Wassail Chants and a complimentary can of cider.
The Orchard Chant began at 6:15. Guests were given torches and candles. Dulcie Beaureguard, a guest at the event, described the opening ceremonies as “very entertaining, as there were dancers in traditional garb and we got to learn about the practices of wassail.”
The Master of Ceremonies, dressed in a cloak, with a mask that looked like a deer skull and adorned with a pair of antlers, led guests through the orchards. Scattered throughout the orchards were buckets of toast and ale. Guests were encouraged to dip the toast in the ale and hang in on the apple trees to attract good spirits.
The Orchard Chant concluded at the largest bonfire in Angry Orchard history. So large, in fact, that two fire trucks stayed on hand the entire night to make sure everything stayed under control.
At the bonfire, guests were offered a free glass of the Orchard’s newest seasonal drink: the Wassail Wooden Sleeper. However, the reviews were mixed. Beaureguard described it as “wooden and smokey,” whereas another guest, Samantha Hickey, said it was “really sweet, I liked it”
Guests were asked to come in full Wassail Garb, and whoever had the best costume won a Wassail Bundle of cider and Angry Orchard merchandise valued at $100. The winners, Krysten and Manny, were decked head to toe in Christmas Lights and Holly Wreaths.
The Growler Competition commenced at 8 p.m., where guests competed to see who could hold a full pitcher of ale at arm’s length the longest. The competition lasted 3 minutes long.
Live Music from Tilly Foster, a bluegrass band, took place in the Cider Garden. They performed a rousing cover of Maneater, sung by banjo player Bryan Lynch, that had the whole crowd dancing. Guest Dylan Twomley said “The music definitely made the night, it was really upbeat and fun.”
The axe throwing was another popular destination for guests. Julia Wolstromer said “I’ve never tried axe throwing, even though I wasn’t great I had a lot of fun. The guy who was working there was really encouraging too.”
The overwhelming consensus was that Angry Orchard put together an unforgettable night, with one guest, Lily Link, even saying “I would come back every year.”
