Somewhere under that dense fog, the people of Somerset county in southwest England may be marching from house to house, singing songs and dancing, and asking for a drink or snack in return. If that sounds like Christmas caroling, you’re right. But it’s the English tradition of wassailing—a practice that usually takes place on Twelfth Night, which marks the coming of the Epiphany and takes place on January 5th or 6th. So why do the people living in this farmland moor wassail on January 17? Because in Somerset, the locals observe the pre-Gregorian calendar Twelfth Night, which falls on January 17. They may even stage an ‘apple wassail’ with a trip to a local cider orchard, to sing and make noise for a good harvest in the new year.
A wassailing we go
Today in History
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National Mountain Climbing Day
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On the Route of the Waterfalls
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Burrowing owls
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European Day of Parks
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World Whale Day
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Wander the ancient medina
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Landscape Architecture Month
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Singing praises of the oceans
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Snow buntings take flight
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Oymyakon, Russia
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On this shore, history was made
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Serra de Tramuntana, Majorca, Spain
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Big Bend National Parks birthday
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A star is borne by seaweed
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A monster view in Scotland
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Here we mark the price of freedom