subject: Here We Come a Wassailing [print this page] Here We Come a Wassailing Here We Come a Wassailing
Wassailing is a tradition that predates Christianity, and yet has become a tradition near and dear to Christmas. Very few people refer to the practice as Wassailing anymore, but I am willing to bet that a good number of our readers have gone Wassailing, for it is well known under a much more modern term, Caroling. Wassailing is the practice of going from house to house singing songs traditionally with a bowl or a cup in hopes of getting a drink from the host.
The tradition began (pre-Christian) as a way to ward off evil spirits from the orchards. A Wassail King and Queen would be crowned by the locals and then the Wassail King and Queen would lead a processional in song into the orchard and then usually the Wassail Queen would be hoisted into the branches where she will place a piece of toast soaked in the traditional drink of the ceremony traditionally called Wassail which is a mulled cider, mead, or ale mixed in a bowl and carried with the processional. The toast was given as an offering to the spirits, basically a bribe to encourage the good spirits to ensure that the orchards produced a healthy bounty in the coming year, and keep the evil spirits at bay.
Of course as Christianity grew this tradition would change, and eventually had the Wassail King and Queen lead a procession through town knocking on door to door with a wassail bowl singing carols in exchange for the home owner filling the wassail bowl for the carolers to drink from.
Traditional Wassail Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 bottle (750ml) of your favorite mead (Semi-Sweet to dry, plain mead is ideal)
2 cups Fresh Apple Cider
1 Large Orange
4 Cinnamon Sticks
2 Whole Cloves
1 small slice ginger root
Pinch of nutmeg
Cut the Orange in half. Poke the Cloves into the rind of one half. Squeeze the juice from the other half into the pot.
Add the Apple Cider and Mead.
Add the Cinnamon Sticks, Nutmeg and half orange with cloves to the pot.
Slice the ginger root length wise into 4 pieces. Add one piece to the pot.
Bring to boil then reduce heat to low. Allow to steep for one hour.
