Orchard Hailing Day
Cider Walking Day • Applemas
An Evening Walk with Friends to Wassail Trees and Harvest
About Orchard Hailing Day
Orchard Hailing Day invites us to step outside, raise a mug, and toast the natural world for its unruly generosity. Rooted in centuries-old wassailing rites and pagan harvest revels, this holiday turns gratitude into a merry ramble through orchards, gardens, or whatever patch of earth you can claim. Participants wander frosty paths, saluting trees and shrubs alike, thanking them for the year’s yield. Hail a real apple tree or a defiant basil sprig clinging to life on your balcony. Either way, you’re reconnecting with the land and celebrating the fragile truce between people and nature. You’ll feel funny calling out blessings to a hedge at first, but the mulled cider will loosen your tongue. Designate an Orchard Hailing Day driver before you get too grateful.
Ways to observe
(A) Low effort
Step outside, raise a mug of hot cider, and thank a nearby tree for all it does. If no tree is available, a houseplant will do.
(B) Recommended
Take an evening stroll through a local park, nature reserve, or garden. Carry a thermos of cider or tea, pause to toast the plants and trees you encounter, and reflect on the harvest season’s gifts. Consider leaving a symbolic gift like compost or birdseed as a gesture of thanks.
(C) High effort
Organize an evening Wassail Walk with friends. Dress in cozy winter gear, bring instruments for music, and march through an orchard, stopping to toast the trees with cider. Prepare songs to honor the plants, and cap the evening with a small bonfire and a feast featuring apple-themed dishes.
Inspiration
Like Bonfire Night, Orchard Hailing Day doesn’t require much justification. Getting a little drunk and shouting compliments at trees is obviously good fun. The fact that it also has deep historical roots just means you should yell louder and pour the mulled wine with conviction. The tradition of wassailing comes from the heart of rural England, where, in the dead of winter, communities would gather in orchards to sing to the trees, splash cider on their roots, and scare off evil spirits with cheerful noise and general goodwill. It was part agricultural charm, part pagan ritual, and part excuse to get tree-worshipping drunk in the dark. As Christianity crept in, the rite evolved into a festive hybrid of superstition and boozy choir practice. Revelers crowned a Wassail King, passed around steaming bowls of mulled cider, and belted out songs with the explicit goal of bullying the trees into fruitfulness. The word wassail itself comes from the Old Norse ves heill, meaning “be well,” an ancient toast that still echoes in modern cups. Though wassailing is the main ancestor of Orchard Hailing Day, it echoes harvest and midwinter festivals around the world. Pagan rites like Samhain, often celebrated with food, fire, and shouting into the void, similarly marked the end of the harvest before winter shut everything down.
Adornments
Watch
A Midnight Clear (1992)
Set during a snowy World War II ceasefire, this haunting film captures the eerie stillness of winter woods and a fragile connection across enemy lines. While not about harvest or trees, its emphasis on nature’s hush and human fragility makes it a spiritual cousin to Orchard Hailing Day.
Tales from the Green Valley (2005)
This BBC docuseries immerses five historians in the year 1620, where they live on a recreated farm using only tools and knowledge from that period. Slow-paced, richly atmospheric, and unexpectedly charming, it’s an invitation to walk a year in the muddy boots of pre-industrial farmers.
Listen
The Holly and the Ivy by Loreena McKennitt
A hauntingly beautiful take on a Christmas standard that places winter flora front and center.
Mango Tree by Angus & Julia Stone
Laid-back and breezy, this duet feels like sipping warm cider in hammock weather. The lyrics are gentle and nostalgic, offering a low-key way to keep the orchard theme alive long after sundown.
Read
Arboreal: A Collection of New Woodland Writings by Edited by Adrian Cooper
This anthology of essays and stories from contemporary British writers explores the emotional and symbolic power of trees. Beautiful and intimate, it’s a modern wassail for the page.
Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy
One of Hardy’s lighter novels, full of rural charm, seasonal customs, and tree-laden metaphors. It’s set around Christmastime and includes actual scenes of caroling and wassailing, making it an ideal companion to the day.
Eat
Wassail-Soaked Pears
Simmer pears in mulled cider with cinnamon sticks and a splash of brandy. Serve warm with clotted cream or yogurt. They’re soft, spiced, and utterly orchard-forward.