THE ANNUAL Lickey Hills Wassail had its biggest ever turnout as 300 people took part in the event earlier today.
Participants met at the Visitor Centre and then paraded to the orchard, banging their pots and pans.
People also carried lanterns to light the way.
A Wassail and Wassailing is a centuries-old tradition to celebrate orchards and ensure a bountiful harvest for the forthcoming 12 months.
They are held on or around Twelfth Night and involve making noise to ward off evil spirits and to ‘awaken the fruit trees’.
After the welcome and the parade around the orchard, a humorous panto-style mummers’ play was performed.
After that, songs were sung and everyone enjoyed some hot spiced apple juice.
Rubery writer and poet Spoz, aka Giovanni Esposito, recited a poem he wrote for the occasion and was one of the main characters in the play.
He said afterwards: “It was fantastic – it was marvelously disorganised and chaotic which is how it should be and how it would have been in pagan times – they didn’ really go in for rehearsals.
“There were so many people – it was brilliant and it’s important to see these great traditions carry on.”
We spoke to many people who were there for their first time and said they would definitely be back for next year’s.
The organisers also confirmed it was the ‘biggest ever Wassail to have been held at the Lickey Hills.
Scroll the images at the top of the article to see a host of pictures from the day.
