TRADITIONAL activities centred on the ancient custom of wassailing are due to start over the next few days, with several villages holding events, plus there is the return of the traditional Marie Lwyd ceremony, which is taking place in Chepstow.

Residents of English Bicknor are expected to be out in force on Friday January 17 as the village stages their own second wassail ceremony.

A spokesperson said: "Following the success of our first wassail last year, we hope to give nature a helping hand with a second wassailing evening in English Bicknor on Friday January 17.

"We will meet in English Bicknor Villlage Hall at 7pm, and a procession, lit by flaming torches, will lead us to a nearby orchard in the company of our wassailing Master of Ceremonies. Here we will bless an ancient apple tree with cider-soaked toast, whilst singing traditional wassailing songs around a flaming brazier. The wassail Cup will be passed around for all to toast the tree, and shots will be fired into the highest branches to scare away evil spirits and wake the sleeping apple orchard."

Once the procession has returned to the village hall they will be served with a hot supper washed down with hot mulled cider, and are due to be entertained by local duo 'Part Fidelity', with wassailing songs.

The organisers have asked anyone attending to bring torches, and a drum or old saucepan to bang as part of the ensemble.

A similar ceremony is also to be held at Ragman's Lane Farm, near Bishopswood, on Sunday February 2. A procession through the orchards will be followed by a bonfire and music from Life of Riley.

The ceremonies will be conducted by the Wassailing Butler, Pete Symmonds, who for many years has been promoting the revival of wassailing around Gloucestershire.

Pete commented: "The tradition is important in the farming calendar, and the wassail will end with a loud bang, usually a blank shot, to wake the orchard from its winter sleep."

Freya Davies, farm manager at Ragman's, commented: "The wassail is a wonderful tradition linked to the changes in the year, and the fruitfulness of the earth. It is energetic, vibrant and fun. There will be a big fire, musicians, and a chance to meet old and new friends as we keep this local custom alive."

Participants are asked to bring drums, rattles or sticks and tins to bang.

The event runs from 4 - 6pm.

Drybrook Primary School are holding no less than three wassailing events, on January 13, 14 and 16, which they have described as a 'an outdoor, traditional wassailing ceremony'. They also plan to sing the Gloucestershire wassail song, which is reckoned to be Saxon in origin, but which has come through the ages as a very popular wassailing song - most recently covered by several folk legends including Maddy Prior, and Fairport Convention.

In Chepstow, the Widders Border Morris team are hosting their 'Marie Lwyd' on Saturday January 18. A ceremony that has grown hugely over recent years.

This will start at 2pm with morris dancing at the Three Tuns, Bridge Street, followed at 3pm by the wassail of the apple trees in Castle Dell. At 4pm the Marie Lwyd ceremony is repeated at the Three Tuns, before the Castle Inn has a wassail at 5pm.

From 5.45pm there will be dancing and singing at the old Wye Bridge, before the historic meeting of the English and Welsh parties at the centre of the bridge at 6.30pm. "It's like going to War...and then all peace breaks out!"

The Marie Lwyd ceremony will again be repeated at Chepstow Museum at 7.15pm, before an open mic session at the Castle pub and live music at the Three Tuns in the evening.

This year they are hosting ten morris teams from all over the UK, three Mari Lwyds (ceremonial horses heads), plus the Green Man, a Mummers Play and street music and dancing. All events are free.

The wassail is an ancient pagan ceremony that has seen a widespread revival in recent years. The ceremony begins with a libation of cider and an offering of a piece of toast are given to the tree, and culminates in the making of a lot of noise around the selected apple tree. This, our ancestors believed, would have the effect of driving away evil spirits from the trees, and would bring about a bumper harvest. Most modern ceremonies finish with a plea to the apple trees to grow lots of apples, with the words: "Hat-fulls, cap-fulls, three bushel bag-fulls...and a little heap under the stairs." Followed by three cheers.