Popular Wassail parade celebrates 20th anniversary in Tarring High Street

Sompting Village Morris returns to Worthing this weekend for the annual medieval Wassail march.
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The popular spectacle sees the dancers parade and perform along the length of Tarring High Street, with this year’s event taking place tomorrow, Saturday, January 5, starting at 8pm.

The procession will finish at the garden of The Vine pub, where a Wassail ritual will be enacted in the garden by an apple tree.

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Sompting Village Morris has been wassailing in Tarring since 1999 and always attract a good crowd.

Sompting Village Morris has been wassailing in Worthing every year since 1999. Picture: Derek Martin DM17422102aSompting Village Morris has been wassailing in Worthing every year since 1999. Picture: Derek Martin DM17422102a
Sompting Village Morris has been wassailing in Worthing every year since 1999. Picture: Derek Martin DM17422102a

Wassailing is traditionally celebrated on Twelfth Night and involves short bursts of noise and singing. The aim of the ritual is to wake up the fruit trees to ensure a good harvest.