Country diary: Beating pots and pans, it's time to go a-wassailing

Saxlingham Nethergate, Norfolk: With Venus shining down on us in the cold, we perform a ceremony that today has more to do with connecting to our roots than ensuring a good apple harvestIt's a cold but still night as we walk up the road. The opening call of "toowoo" from a tawny owl conversation reaches us from the woods beside. The clear sky is lit by a crescent moon, and, illuminated by Earthshine, the shadowy full circle of the moon is visible too. With rare celestial alignment, Venus appears brightly, just above the moon.We join a group of villagers in procession towards the community orchard, for the annual wassail, beating pots and pans as we go. It's noisy and liberatingly peculiar. Continue reading...