About
The Lea Valley Wassail with the Chingford Morris Men
Saturday 8th January 2022
3pm to 5.30pm
Gather in the Abbey grounds, Waltham Abbey, for this traditional event that is celebrated across Britain every year.
What is Wassailing?
Wassailing has its roots in ensuring a good harvest in the year to come by singing and dancing and creating a hullabaloo (often by banging pots and pans) to drive out the bad spirits and pleasing the good spirits of the fruit trees. As a reward, the farmers would provide warm spiced cider to the participants. As this medieval tradition grew, those in towns joined in with the wassailers dancing from house to house and drinking from the Wassail Bowl, from a large wooden bowl with a lid to keep in the heat. The house-wassailing tradition has evolved into what we now recognise as carolling, where groups of people go from door-to-door singing Christmas carols.
Traditionally Wassailing occured as the final fling of the Christmas celebrations, which lasted for twelve days, being on the Twelfth Night. This is usually accepted as the 5th January although some insist in celebrating it on ‘Old Twelvey’, or the 17th January, the correct date if you ignore the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1752 which moved things around. So our date of 8th January is ideal falling between the two!
Today the Wassailing tradition is kept alive and is more associated with the bringing together of communities to celebrate a new year and look forward to happiness and good fortune,much as people in the past have looked to the land to see that good health and good harvest are maintained year after year.
Find out more here: The story of wassailing and wassail bowls | National Trust
The Chingford Morris Men:
The Chingford Morris Men first danced out in 1962. Their own dances began to be developed soon after that, and they perform these almost exclusively. They are in the Cotswold style - six dancers to a set, using wooden sticks or handkerchiefs. In addition to the dancers, you may see two further characters: The Fool, who adds an element of fun and encourages audience participation, whilst the ram “Goldenballs” is a symbolic beast, personifying the fertility aspect of the dance. They also perform mixed and ladies clog dances from the north-west of England. These are based on dances from Gala Days and Rushbearing ceremonies in the cotton-mill towns, where clogs were worn for work. The Chingford dancers can be recognised by the colours of red, yellow and green. Thie badge is adapted from the old Chingford Borough arms, with elements representing Epping Forest, the “mighty” River Ching, and the county of Essex. Most of their performances take place during the summer, at public houses, fetes and festivals. They are also to be seen at other times, notably every Boxing Day - where you can experience an original and topical “Mummers” play in Waltham Abbey, and High Beech in Epping Forest.
Contact the Chingford Morris Men here: chingford.morris@gmail.com 01992 712765 or visit their website here: Chingford Morris Men (filk.co.uk)
Book Tickets Online
Map & Directions
Road Directions
M25 (junction 25/26) A121 – Waltham Abbey. The Abbey Church is in Highbridge Street (postcode EN9 1DG).
Car parking is available outside the Abbey Church – free for two hours. Or park in the Cornmill car park behind the Muhinur restaurant, or in the Abbey Gardens car park (accessible from the roundabout on the B194 at the junction of Abbey View and Crooked Mile).
Public Transport Directions
By Rail
To Waltham Cross (1.2 miles) from London Liverpool Street, Hertford East and Cambridge. – Services run approximately every 30 minutes in each direction. For details, contact Greater Anglia.
By Bus
Waltham Abbey is served by several bus routes – for information, refer to Travelline South East and Anglia. Use Find a Timetable and enter Waltham Abbey as the location.
