Here We Come A-Wassailing (2024)

Thankyou for having me today! Waes-hael!That’s an Anglo-Saxon greeting of good health, part of an ancient custom that’schanged in meaning over the centuries. One thing that hasn’t changed, however,is the image of the wassail bowl, filled to the brim and redolent with sweetand spice, ready to be shared among friends.

WhenAnita Mae Draper sat down to write HereWe Come A-Wassailing for Guidepost’s ACupof Christmas Cheer, she said she “thoughtof the song and imagined a woman on her way home, gathering people along theway as they dowhen they go caroling on Christmas Eve. It only seemednatural that when she got there her mother would have a steaming wassail bowlwaiting.”

Clearly,wassail is now and has always been about more than a warm, spicy drink. Today,we think of it as a Christmas tradition, but it was not specific to any holidayin centuries gone by. The first recorded mention of wassail—as an act of saluteand fellowship, not just as a drink— is in the epic 8^th-centurypoem, Beowulf.

Therider sleepeth,
the hero, far-hidden; no harp resounds,
in the courts no wassail, as once was heard.

One can easilyimagine the fellowship taking place in the great halls of England as folkgathered on chill evenings around a bowl of wassail, wishing one another goodhealth as they drank.

One wonders what such a drink tasted like. Originally, wassail was madeof ale, mead, or wine, eggs, sugar, spices, and curdled cream, garnished withfloating toast (the source of our modern day term for raising one’s glass tosomeone!). The addition of roasted apples and their frothy-looking pulp gaverise to another name for wassail, Lamb’s Wool.

While wassailing in some areas of England had a pagan connotation(orchard-wassailing entailed to the health of apple trees and scaring away evilspirits), eventually, wassailing came to be associated with Christmastide. Byat least the 16^th century, wealthy landowners hosted villagers for afeast and wassail on Twelfth Night in exchange for the villager’s singing andtoasts to the master’s health. Ever wondered why the singersdemand figgy pudding in “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” after sharing theirgood tidings? It all goes back to wassailing—a salute in exchange for food anddrink.

The Gloucester Wassail carol from the Middle Ages, puts it thus:

Wassail!wassail! all over the town,
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;
With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee.

By the 19^th century, wassailing evolved intoChristmas caroling, going door to door sharing holiday cheer but still expectingalcohol in return. Around 1850, the popular wassailing carol came about, and westill sing it today:

Here we comea-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.

Today, wassailing is almost synonymous with caroling,although modern folk don’t expect figgy pudding or mulled mead as the price oftheir songs. On the contrary, the fun and fellowship of the experience arepayment enough, but if a neighbor offers cocoa to warm our cold hands, few ofus are loath to say no.

Ready to make your own wassail for the holiday season? Somerecipes call for claret mulled with spices. Others mix spices and juices(apple, pineapple, and orange) with sherry and brandy. Tamer versions (likemine, below) are alcohol-free. No matter the recipe, wassail will be fragrantwith cinnamon and cloves, served warm, and sticky if spilled!

And best of all, it still tastes better when shared withfriends.

Wassail Punch

Serves 6
In a crockpot or Dutch oven, combine:

6 cups apple cider (not juice)
1 cup cranberry or orange juice

In a cheesecloth pouch or large bag for steeping tea,place 4 cinnamon sticks, 8-10 whole cloves, and 8-10 whole allspice. Add tojuices. If desired, add one sliced orange for color. I do not add sugar, but ifdesired, a small amount may be used.