The return of sailing could be exactly what our broken society needs

"How many have never been to a wassail before?" asked the man with the ivy crown. Half of those sitting around the fire raised their hands. "Well, this is a folk ritual," our master of ceremonies joked. "We need some virgins." On a cold January afternoon we were taken from our homes to stand in an orchard singing to the fruit trees.

Long practiced at the heart of British cider, wassailing is ...