Cornish Wassail

Try the ancient tradition of Wassailing at Royal Cornwall Museum this Christmas!

On the darkest night of winter, we wake the spirit of the trees so that our orchards will prosper and bear fruit in the coming season.

Join us for a Cornish Wassail at the museum and help wake up the spirit of the tree through mask making, a Cornish song, procession, serpent dance, and mulled apple juice.

The tradition of the Wassail in Cornwall goes back more than six hundred years and has taken different forms. Sometimes people would hold a ceremony in orchards to bless the apple trees. Other times they would become Guise Dancers, disguised in “mock posh” dress or masks and greenery. Guise Dancers would then parade through the streets and great halls, sharing their wassail bowl with its contents of beer or cider.

Our Wassail at the museum will feature
– Guise Dancers
– Mask making
– A procession through the museum
– Waking the spirit of the trees with a serpent dance and song
– Finding all the apples hidden across the museum
– Cornish Wassiling bowls from the RIC collection not usually on display
– Access to the museum and Spyrys sculpture by the City of Lights after hours
– A glass of mulled apple juice.
– This is a family friendly event, full participation in the wassail is encouraged for younger ones aged 4 -16. Standard tickets are also available for those who wish to soak in the festivities.

Tickets:
£7 for the full wassail (for younger ones)
£5 for standard entry (including a glass of mulled apple juice)
Those aged 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult with a standard entry ticket.