Yet another successful and fun Wassail in Brightwell cum Sotwell on a cold and rainy afternoon.
The year we started our Wassail in the newly planted Little Martins Orchard at the western end of the village.
Over 500 people processed through the village wassailing in orchards along the route. All the traditional Wassail rituals were carried out and so our trees should be well and truly woken up, the evil spirits driven away and the good spirits of the orchard fed with bread and cider.
Leading the processions were the magnificent Armaleggan. They are Border Morris dancers. This style of morris dancing was traditionally danced in Herefordshire and Shropshire - the counties at the northern end of the Welsh borders. Border is more rough and ready than other more familiar morris dancing and certainly has more "oomph!"
