Wassail Songs

it is traditional to ‘wassail’ or sing encouragement to the trees in winter. It’s usually done with a bit of ceremony and rousing verses. I adapted the idea with these songs to the soil as well as the fruit and Tash made a punch for us to complete the wassail:

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Wassail the soil, wassail the mud 

send life into wood

and sap to the bud.

Hats off to the soil, hats off to the mud

can’t do without it

in drought or in flood.

We sing to the soil and sing to the mud

to bring us a harvest and all of it good.

Harvest the light, harvest the dark

building an armour of thickening bark,

steady branch, steady root

gather your strength to reach and shoot

blossom apple, blossom pear,

heavy your boughs and fulsome share,

give us a harvest of all we can eat

of golden fruits, juicy and sweet.

Copyright: Janet Harper 2021