A DOZEN wassailers are sought for Stroud Wassail.

The fourth Stroud Wassail is taking place on the 14th January 2017. This year the event itself is to be preceded by Stroud Wassailers visiting pubs and restaurants. Stroud Wassailers will be singing songs, performing plays and generally entertaining.

Stroud Wassail is seeking 12 – 15 people who would like to be Stroud Wassailers. Initial meetings are being held at the Stroud Museum in the Park on November 20th and 27th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Says Steve Rowley, member of the Wassail Committee: “This year we want to engage many more people in the spirit of the Wassail. The Stroud Wassailers will be our ambassadors. ”

The origins of wassailing are over 1000 years old, as a toast to wish companions good health. Wassailing today is the tradition of visiting neighbours around 12th night with a wassail bowl and a song, to wish them a healthy and a prosperous new year.

The Stroud Wassail is a new winter festival to extend wishes of a healthy and prosperous new year.

In one of the darkest days of the year, the town will be brought to life with wassail songs, colourful costumes, music, Morris dancing, wassail bowls, hobby horses and the Broad. The Stroud Wassail is based upon documents found in the Stroud Museum and upon the recorded reminiscences of people in a Stroud pub back in the 1970s. It is believed that, previously, wassailing was carried out in Stroud up until the 1920s.

To find out more about the Stroud Wassail visit: http://stroudwassail.com/ The Stroud area has a rich tradition of wassail songs. Many of these can be seen on the Gloucestershire Traditions website: www.glostrad.com.