Apple howling hullabaloo in 2001

According to a County Times report in January 2001, it is a Sussex custom that involves “grown men thrashing tress and making a general hullabaloo”.

On their website, The Chanctonbury Ring Morris Men give a much more informative description.

They describe apple howling – or wassailing – as “an ancient custom in which the ‘evil’ spirits are driven out and the ‘good’ spirits are encouraged to produce a good apple crop for the following year’s cider”.

The Chanctonbury Ring group revived the tradition in 1967. The last time it had been performed was at Duncton in 1920. Almost 200 people took part in the 2001 ceremony.

Howling was popular throughout southern England, where plum, apple and pear trees grew.

The County Times report stated: “And even though the ritual differs from region to region, the end result is still the same – to make trees bear huge amounts of fruit. Groups of howlers would go from tree to tree howling, ending up at the owner’s house where cider and ale were handed out.”

The Chanctonbury Ring group gave more details, including the spiced and cider-soaked wassail cake that was placed in a fork of the tree while cider was poured over the roots to promote good growth

Their website added: “After some more words of encouragement for the tree, the Master of the Ceremony calls for beaters to thrash the trunk of the tree with sticks. This is one of the parts of the event that particularly appeals to the younger members – the harder they hit, the greater the stimulation!”

Then came the ‘general hullabaloo’, where a shotgun was fired into the air signalling those gathered to make as much noise as possible.

To find out more about The Chanctonbury Ring Morris Men. log on to www.crmm.org.uk .