Hundreds of people, both young and old, gather at the Westons Cider Mill near Ledbury in England's West Midlands to take part in the traditional Wassail ceremony, comprising of an atmospheric torchlight procession into the nearby ancient cider orchards.

The crowds at Much Marcle in Herefordshire were entertained by the Silurian Border Morris Men, who recently hit the news headlines by opting to change their black face paint to a less controversial shade of dark green.

According to their website, the true origins of blackened faces are lost to history, but are widely believed to be simply a form of disguise, possibly to overcome the oppressive anti-begging laws of the 17th century and the eternal embarrassment of being a Morris man.

The orchard-visiting wassail refers to the ancient custom of visiting orchards in cider-producing regions of England, reciting incantations and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year.

The word wassail itself derives from the Anglo-Saxon greeting “be in good health.”

Much Marcle, Herefordshire, UK. 8th January 2022. Hundreds of people, both young and old, gather at the Westons Cider Mill to take part in the traditional Wassail ceremony comprising of an atmospheric torchlight procession into the nearby ancient cider orchards. The crowds at Much Marcle in Herefordshire were entertained by the Silurian Border Morrismen who recently hit the news headlines by opting to change their black face paint to a less controversial shade of dark green. According to their website, the true origins of blackened faces are lost to history, but are widely believed to be simply a form of disguise, possibly to overcome the oppressive anti-begging laws of the 17th century and the eternal embarrassment of being a morris man. The orchard-visiting wassail refers to the ancient custom of visiting orchards in cider-producing regions of England, reciting incantations and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year. The word wassail itself derives from the Anglo-Saxon greeting “be in good health”.