Yule Season, part four - First Footing & Wassailing into 2022

Next Nature Folklore Sessions Live -
Sunday 26th December, at 2pm Irish Time

Watch here Live! ... or watch the archive later (click pic to set reminder)

Yule Season, part four - First Footing & Wassailing into 2022

a time of affirmations and community fellowship

 

Through my personal experiences of first footing for several years on a Scottish island and Wassailing apple trees in Somerset and Ireland I notice similarities. There is a common bonding of wonderful and essential personal affirmations blended with simple connecting fellowship with our community of family and neighbours, even during Covid times. There is also a lovely slow down and re-connect with where we live, the landscape around us, and how it all provides for us, if we respect it.

First Footin', a heart warming simple traditions of calling on local family and neighbours, and sharing local whisky, or tea, slices of black bun, a sort of rich fruit cake in pastry, and a bowl of soup or stew.

Wassailing, traditionally a bit later than First Footin', a joyful shared blessing of our elder apple trees in three parts, blessing the roots, blessing the tree, and blessing each other who are served by the harvest from the trees.

The common link is the social fellowships that both traditions draw us into with the banter of gossip and stories, thoughts for those passed on, joy for  the living and their affirmations, and sharing our hopes, dreams and toasts to good health. We can adapt that to our Covid times.  

Join us and celebrate with this, our last Nature Folklore sessions of 2021.