Wassailing Day @ Weald & Downland Living Museum
Sun, Jan 18
Winter Wassailing at the Museum – Sunday, 18 January
Come and bless the Museum’s orchard and celebrate this joyful winter tradition of Wassailing! Join us on Sunday, 18 January for a lively day of music, song, and celebration, as we raise our voices to ensure a bountiful apple harvest in the year ahead.
Between 11.15am and 3.15pm, visitors can enjoy traditional Wassail activities, short performances, and musical processions throughout the day.
Join the Procession
Take part in a festive Wassail procession starting from the green by the crossroads below Tindalls Cottage. Led by musicians and performers, each group will travel to the orchard at Bayleaf Farmstead for the Wassail ceremony.
Procession times: 11.15am · 1.00pm · 2.45pm
(Duration approx. 30 minutes)
In the orchard, we’ll decorate an apple tree and take part in the traditional blessing ceremony, using bread, salt, and mulled apple juice. Guests are invited to shout the age-old call of “Wassail!” and make as much noise as possible to chase away evil spirits and bring good health to the orchard.
Bring something to make noise!
Rattles, bells, tin cans or whistles — anything that adds to the merry clamour!
Also, as part of our Wassailing celebrations, our interpretation team will be at home in the Bayleaf Farmhouse, where the Wassail procession will knock on the door to share the Wassail drink in celebration before moving onto the Museum orchard.
At the end of the procession, our team will then be inviting visitors to come into the Bayleaf Farmhouse and join them around the fire for an immersive atmosphere. The team will be enjoying their own wassail celebration, where you can sit and chat with them and ask questions around the celebration and day to day life in the 16th century.
A Fun, Family-Friendly Celebration
This event is perfect for families, music lovers, and anyone who enjoys experiencing living history and English folklore. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and we recommend warm clothing and sturdy footwear.
Details of the day’s activities will be available in the daily programme on arrival.
About Wassailing
The word “Wassail” comes from the Saxon “Waes Hael”, meaning “Good Health”. Traditionally, it was both a toast and a blessing — the giver would say “Waes Hael!” and the receiver would reply “Drink Hael!”
In centuries past, when a good harvest was vital to survival, communities developed rituals to bless crops, animals, and the land. Wassailing the apple trees became especially popular in the cider-making regions of southern England, including Sussex and Kent, as a way to ensure a plentiful apple crop.
During the ceremony, people would:
- Sing and toast the health of the orchard
- Offer bread soaked in cider to the spirits of the trees
- Make loud noises — banging pots, firing guns, and shouting — to scare away bad spirits
Known in Sussex and Kent as “Apple Howling” or “Apple Yowling”, this ancient custom continues today as a joyous community event, blending music, folklore, and rural tradition.
Information for Visitors
Discover 40 acres of history, nature, and countryside charm at the Weald & Downland Living Museum near Chichester, West Sussex. Explore our collection of historic buildings, working farm animals, and heritage gardens, and experience what rural life was like in centuries past.
Come Rain or Shine You Can Explore and Enjoy
Stroll through our beautiful open-air museum, where you can see authentic period homes, workshops, and barns set within the stunning South Downs landscape. Enjoy peaceful woodland walks, spot wildlife, or visit the woodland play area — perfect for children to explore and learn through play.
Meet Our Working Animals
Look out for our Heavy Horses, Sheep, and Ducks, who help bring the Museum to life. Visitors can even feed the ducks on the mill pond — grain can be purchased in the Museum shop.
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