Stroud Wassail 10th Jan 2015

A new festival of winter traditions

Glos Waysailers

A new winter festival to wish you a healthy and prosperous new year. In the darkest days, the town will be brought to life with wassail songs, colourful costumes, music, morris dancing, wassail bowls, hobby horses and The Broad.

The origins of wassailing are over 1000 years old, as a toast to wish your companions good health. In the Stroud area this became a tradition of visiting neighbours around 12th night with a wassail bowl and a song, to wish them a prosperous new year. There are many wassail songs from the district, we will sing The Stroud Wassail.

broad wbw

Stroud Wassail features The Broad – a kind of hobby horse in the form of a cow.  This would accompany the wassailers.

There are opportunities for you to learn wassail songs, make costumes and join in the procession, and there will be lots of morris dancing to enjoy.

styxhey

The festival will take place in the streets of Stroud, Subscription Rooms Forecourt and the Museum in the Park.

Programme

 

1 thought on “Stroud Wassail 10th Jan 2015”

  1. I wish you well, we have had a ‘Wassail round the Apple Tree’, up North of Toronto, in the Hockley Valley for about 20 years now. Usually on the coldest night of the year.

    Phil, Squire, Wolf at the Door Molly

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