HUNDREDS of people went to Sandford near Crediton on Saturday, January 10 to frighten away evil spirits!

They were attending the annual Sandford Wassail which was revived in the village in 2011 by Sandford Orchards, the local cider and juice products company.

It was certainly an eventful evening including fire, shouting, firing shotguns, music, singing, cider, toast, a procession, dancing, pitchforks, morris dancing, a mummer’s play and bashing pots and pans.

In the cider-producing counties of the South West and South East of England, wassailing refers to a traditional ceremony that involves singing and drinking the health of trees in the hope that they might better thrive.

The evening began with everyone gathering in Sandford Square and the arrival of the parade of Exeter Morris.

There was morris dancing and singing of the Wassail song before apple cake was served to the crowd.

The person who had a clove in her cake and therefore became Wassail Queen was Sue Charnock from Sandford.

The Wassail Queen led the parade of morris dancers and large crowd down through the village to the field where the ceremony continued with the Queen pouring cider around an apple tree and placed toast in the branches.

Then followed the signing of the Wassail Song and noisy part where everyone present helped to frighten away the evil spirits to ensure a good apple harvest.

The public had taken along pots and pans, rattles, whistles, and other instruments or just shouted. Guns were also fired into the trees.

Following was an amusing mummer’s play by the Brown Paper Bag Mummers, a bonfire was lit, folk singing taking place afterwards at The Lamb Inn.

Donations were accepted in aid of Sandford Millennium Green.

Wassailing is a pagan tradition dating back to medieval times and the word wassail comes from the Viking term “waes hail” for “good health”.