Wassailing 

Many years ago I began a tradition with my coveners and families of reviving traditions of “seasons past.”  One of these is to honor the old custom of wassailing..  The word “wassail” is derived from the Anglo Saxon “waes hael” meaning “be whole” or “be of good health”.  To wassail a person was to drink to his or her health and prosperity in a ceremonial way.  At Yuletide a large bowl filled with a hot spiced ale drink containing apples was passed around in much the same manner as a loving cup.  If the bowl was too large to be passed around, individual cups were filled from it.  The master of the house was first to drink, followed by the mistress, and so on through the rest of the family, and then the guests.  Sometimes wassailing bowls were carried around, house to house, and songs were sung by those bringing the bowl.  The songs were usually toasts to the health and prosperity of the inhabitants of the house as well as a request for a small nip of ale.  The bowls were usually made of wood, and decorated with colored ribbons.

In the fruit growing districts of Britain, the apple orchards were wassailed during the Yule season, usually at Twelfth Night.  The farmers, their families and their workers went to the orchard after dark bearing horns, guns (in more recent times) and a large pail of cider.  The best tree in the orchard was chosen to represent all of the trees.  Cider was poured around its roots, a piece of toast was laid in its fork and the lowest branches were pulled down and dipped in the cider pail, if possible.  The tree was toasted, its health was drunk (this acknowledged it as a conscious entity, worthy of respect) and a special, traditional song was sung to it.  This done, shots were fired, horns were blown, or lacking these, buckets were beaten upon.  All this commotion was to drive away the evil spirits and to awaken the sleeping trees.  This ceremony was done to protect the orchards from harm (from unfriendly spirits and other evil influences) and to encourage them to bear a plentiful crop in the season to come.

Each year we select a “special tree” and while our tree may not be the best tree in an apple orchard, it is a special tree. Our “Golden Tree” represents “possibility”.  As we wassail and toast the tree, we imagine the unlimited possibilities that we will harvest in the coming New Year.  

 

The Rhymes of Apple Wassail

"Here’s to thee, old apple-tree,

Whence thou mayst bud, and whence thou mayst blow!

And whence thou mayst bear apples enow!

Hats full! Caps full!

Bushel-bushel-sacks full,

And my pockets full too! Huzza!  

Wassail the trees, that they may bear
You many a plum, and many a pear:
For more or less fruits they will bring,
As you do give them wassailing.

     Robert Herrick (1591-1674) "Ceremonies of Christmas Eve"

Blowe, blowe, bear well,
Spring well in April,
Every sprig and every spray
Bear a bushel of apples against
Next new year’s day

     Painswick in Gloucestershire

Old apple tree, we'll wassail thee,
And hoping thou wilt bear.
The Lady does know where we shall be
To be merry anither year.
To blow well and to bear well,

And so merry let us be;
Let ev'ry man drink up his cup
And health to the apple tree.

Recipes for Wassail

Hot Cranberry Wassail

2 1/2 qts. cranberry juice
1 qt. grape juice
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup rum
1/4 cup orange liqueur
orange slices

Heat juices, water and sugar to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in rum and liqueur and garnish with oranges. Serve hot to keep friends and relatives warm this holiday!

Hot Wassail

4 cups Unsweetened apple juice

3 cups Unsweetened pineapple juice

2 cups Cranberry juice cocktail

1/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg

1 Cinnamon stick

3 Whole cloves

Lemon slices

Combine all the ingredients in a large kettle and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Wassail

1 1/2 quarts boiling water
1/2 ounce tea
1 teaspoon whole cloves
4 to 5 sticks cinnamon
5 quarts cider
1 1/2 quarts orange juice
1 pint boiling water
1 cup sugar
1 pint grapefruit juice
1 pint cranberry juice
1 pint claret or similar wine

Pour 1 1/2 quarts boiling water over tea. Steep for 5-7 minutes; remove tea. Add cloves and cinnamon. Heat to boiling point and let simmer 10 minutes. Add cider and orange juice. Make a sugar syrup by combining sugar and 1 pint boiling water; add to cider mixture. Add grapefruit and cranberry juices and wine. Mix the day before and bring to boiling point, but do not boil. Cut off heat and let wassail cool. Repeat heating and cooling of wassail a couple more times. For gifts, cool wassail and pour in clean bottles with stoppers. Refrigerate. Heat before serving. Makes about 10 quarts.

Many Blessings for you and yours on this Winter Solstice, 2008

Bendis

 

 

 

 Christmas Was In the Kitchen   Yule Log 

   Wassailing  

Goddess Life in Death  

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