Show izing of 0 vj iden t aej lilily the burning of the greens has formed a central part of twelfth night festivities in england since the middle ages large fires were held to purify the fields and to assure bountiful crops everyone in the district gathered together to sin sing the wassail song and to drink from the wassail cup the ceremony was revived in america in 1930 when george M I 1 haushalter lau shalter held a burning of the greens at rochester N Y and s since ce has become an annual event there as well as in other commini ties discarded christmas trees and wreaths were held for the new year is celebration then collected and burned at a gala community bonfire it has been accepted as the end of the new year s celebrations |