Much Marcle, Herefordshire, UK. 6th January 2018. Pictured: A man dressed as a hobby horse joins the crowd in the ceremonial march to the orchard. /
Much Marcle, Herefordshire, UK. 6th January 2018. Pictured: A man dressed as a hobby horse joins the crowd in the ceremonial march to the orchard. / Hundreds of people both young and old gathered at the Westons Cider Mill and adjoining orchard to take part in the traditional Wassail ceremony. The event at Much Marcle in Herefordshire was attended by the Silurian morris side who entertained the crowd with witty repartee, raucous dancing and music. According to their website, the true origins of blackened faces are lost to history, but are widely believed to be simply a form of disguise, possibly to overcome the oppressive anti-begging laws of the 17th century, and the eternal embarrassment of being a morris man. The orchard-visiting wassail refers to the ancient custom of visiting orchards in cider-producing regions of England, reciting incantations and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year.
Size: 4806px × 3208px
Location: Much Marcle, United Kingdom
Photo credit: © Lee Thomas / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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