Buffalo Rising Online

Dec 12th 2007, 9:25am By Courtney Bajdas

Most of you are familiar with the holiday song that begins "Here we come a wassailing, among the leaves so green." But do you know what 'wassailing' means?

Let's start with the basics. The word wassail evolved from the Saxon phrase 'was hail' which translates to 'be in good health’, hence the proper response of 'drinc hail,' 'drink to good health.' Contem­porary wassail is a warm alcoholic punch generally made of mulled cider and served with warm apples, oranges, or toast floating on top.

The history of wassail is tenuous at best. Though it is oft debated, most historians believe that wassail was made of mulled ale and that the tradition of wassailing dates back many centuries, appearing as early as the 1100s (though some estimate its genesis as early as the 3rd or 5th cen­tury). Wassailing was originally a pagan tradition that was adopted and modified by the church during the introduction of Christianity. The tradition of wassailing, though rare, continues in Britain today.

There are three customs that accompany wassail. The first and most well known is that of caroling from house to house with a wooden bowl of wassail (hence the aforementioned song). Typically a prac­tice of the working class, carolers would knock on doors and offer a drink of was­sail. If the patron of the house chose to accept, he would dip his cup in the bowl and then give a small amount of money or food as a sign of gratitude.

The second wassail tradition is similar to the first. Imagine a long table that stretches down the center of a massive hall. Guests are dressed in their holiday best and seated at the table. The butler carries in a large, ornate silver bowl of hot wassail. The bowl has a handle on each side and is passed around the table so that each person may have a cup. This act was very similar to religious holidays in which people share a 'loving cup'.

Finally, the least known of the wassail traditions takes place in the apple orchard itself and has the most obvious connec­tion with the celebration's pagan origins. The town folk gather in the largest apple orchard(s) with at least one large wooden bowl of wassail. Everyone stands around an apple tree that has produced well and sings wassail songs to bless the tree. Shots are fired through the branches; men shout at the tree and “wassail” it by beating it with wassail sticks. The explanations offered for this act are that it wards off evil spirits or that it intimidates the tree into producing fruit. Slices of toast soaked in wassail are placed in the tree branches, wassail is poured on the roots of the tree (again to thank the tree and ensure a good harvest the following year), and then the wassail bowl is passed around so that everyone may dip their cups in to enjoy. This particular tradition still takes place in towns located in England's West Country.

All three traditions are typically cel­ebrated around Christmas time but more specifically on Twelfth Night (January 5-6) or Old Twelfth Night (January 16-17). They all involve decorating the was­sail bowl and wassail sticks with greens and other festive decorations. There are as many wassailing songs as there are recipes for wassail, which number in the hundreds. However you may choose to incorporate wassailing into your holiday, the entire event boils down to sharing a drink and making merry with friends and neighbors!

Here are two recipes, one that incorporates the tradition of ale and another with a more contemporary take using apple cider.


Lambswool Wassail

large handful tart dried apples ∙1/4 cup brown sugar ∙ 1 1/2 cups apple cider ∙ 1 quart Newcastle Ale (or other brown ale) ∙ 2 cups Gewurztraminer or ice wine ∙ 2 tbsp lemon juice ∙ 1 pkg of mulling spices or 1 cinnamon stick, a small piece of ginger, some fresh lemon peel, and a sliver of nutmeg, tied into a cheesecloth pouch

Preheat oven to 350°
Spread apples in a glass pie plate or baking pan. Add cider and top with brown sugar. Bake until the apples have softened. Com­bine apples with the ale, wine, lemon juice and mulling spices and heat on the stove in a large pot until hot. Remove bundle of mulling spices and serve.


Shropshire Wassail

5 small apples ∙ 1 large orange stuck with 12 whole cloves ∙ 5 tsp brown sugar ∙ 1 bottle dry sherry or dry Madeira ∙ 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg ∙ 1/2 tsp ground ginger ∙ 2 allspice berries ∙ 1 cinnamon stick 1 cup sugar ∙ 1 ½ gallons of cider ∙ 1 cup brandy
Preheat oven to 350°
Core the apples and fill each with a teaspoon of brown sugar. Place in a baking pan and cover the bottom with 1/8-inch of water. Insert cloves into the orange about 1/2" apart. Bake the orange with the apples in the oven. Remove after 30 minutes.
Lead photo first appeared in Harper's Weekly January 6, 1872.