Christmas Countdown #21: Traditions: Wassail

Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a-wand'ring
So fair to be seen.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail, too,
And God bless you, and send you
A Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.

We are not daily beggers
That beg from door to door,
But we are neighbors' children
Whom you have seen before
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail, too,
And God bless you, and send you
A Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.

Here We Come A-Wassailing: This delightful vision of flitting from tree to tree singing and spreading good wishes refers to an ancient tradition of "Wassailing," usually done on Twelfth Night, the 6th of January. It definitely has pre-Christian origins. It involves a drink which was originally a type of mulled cider with roasted apples and ale. The name comes from the Saxon word for "be well:" "Waes Hael." As far back as the 1400's, groups of people would take a huge Wassail bowl and go from door to door singing, hoping to have the bowl refilled with refreshment, generally of the alcoholic variety.

The original purpose of Wassailing was to wake up the cider apple trees and ensure a good harvest in the fall. A king and queen were chosen to lead the procession, and the queen was lifted into one of the trees, where she offered a gift of toast soaked in the wassail to the tree spirits. Then they made an enormous amount of racket and banging on pots and pans and shooting off guns. This practice continued in certain rural parts of England until the late 1800's at least. From it has evolved our modern practice of Christmas caroling.

See the recipe for Wassail at #24 here:

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?memberId=66360&articleId=281474977523584&nav=MyGather