Find out about Wassail history on the island and when they are happening this year.
Are you running a wassail? Email wightwassail@gmail.com and we will add it to the Upcoming Wassails page.
Merstone Wassail 2025: Adorning the tree
Merstone Wassail 2025: Morris dancers
Merstone Wassail 2025: Addressing the tree
Merstone Wassail 2025: Wassail musicians
What is a Wassail? A ceremony to ensure a good harvest for the next year, especially for apples. They wake the trees up from their winter sleep and drive away any evil spirits with noise, song, dance and a wassail drink. Bread or cake and cider is offered to the tree, to make sure it is well fed and will produce abundance fruit.
How to run a wassail:
There are various ways to run a wassail, but here are the key elements required:
Connecting Communities to Food: Why Wassailing Is More Than Just an Excuse for Cider https://tastingthefuture.com/2025/03/03/connecting-communities-to-food-why-wassailing-is-more-than-just-an-excuse-for-cider/
Tradfolk National Wassail Directory and more about wassailing https://tradfolk.co/customs/wassailing/where-to-wassail-this-year/
National Trust article on Wassail https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/art-collections/wassailing-ritual-and-revelry
Isle of Wight Wassail song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPNS-xroNK8