Wassailing - Dorset's ancient ritual and tradition

Available for over a year

It's a weekend for wassailing in Dorset.... The ancient custom is being performed at two Dorset locations over the weekend. Traditionally, the act involved visiting orchards in cider-producing regions of England, reciting incantations and singing to the trees, in the hope of encouraging a better harvest. Martin Maudsley who leads a group that puts on Mummers Plays and wassails joined Laurence Herdman in the BBC Radio Solent studios - with fellow wassailer John Butler.