Wassail! A Brief History, Recipe & Invitation

I grew up caroling on doorsteps of strangers and friends alike, delighting in the two boisterous wassail songs we knew among the countless beloved melodies of the season. As I’ve grown older, I’ve grown curious about my cultural roots (largely Polish, English and Scottish) and their food, song and orchard traditions. Dipping my toes deeper into the wassail bowl, here are a few brief findings to fill your cup!

“Wassail” is the modern spelling of the old English phrase “waes hael” meaning “good health!” Shared as a salutation or toast, the proper response was “drink health!” and indeed, wassail is a drink, as well. Below I’ll share a versatile recipe for you to play with and savor.

Wassail has been a yuletide tradition across England since at least the 5th Century and likely well before. Traditions adapt and evolve alongside us and wassail is no exception! Some traditions celebrated wassail on winter solstice while others celebrated on Christmas Eve; in the 8th Century, Beowulf wrote a poem heralding wassail on the 12th Night of Christmas, January 5th. Regardless of the date celebrated, wassail traditions have at least two things in common: Singing and drinking.

Here are the two wassail songs I grew up singing:

Gloucestershire Wassail

Refrain: Wassail! Wassail! All over the town!
Our toast it is white and our drink it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;
With the wassailing bowl, we’ll sing to thee.

First of many verses you’ll find in the post script below:

Here’s to our horse, and to his right ear,
God send our friend a happy new year:
A happy new year as e’er he did see,
With my wassailing bowl we’ll sing to thee.

Here We Come A-wassailing

Verse 1: Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green;
Here we come a-wand’ring
So fair to be seen.

Refrain: 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.

Verse 4 (I love this sentiment and ohhh make up your own!):

We are not daily beggars
That beg from door to door;
But we are neighbors’ children,
Whom you have seen before.

Singing would happen both door to door, in the spirit of caroling, and also in the orchard. Of the many accounts of beautiful, wild and sometimes violent (striking trees that didn’t bear fruit?!!!) traditions, the overall sentiments are two-fold: giving thanks for the fruit harvest and honoring the harvests yet to come. In traditions from the Devonshire region in the 18th Century, cider-spiked cake would be set in the fork of a tree. Everyone would splash more cider on the cake as well as tree while vociferously singing wassail songs, drinking all the while.

Drinking, yes! Wassail is a drink! Think hot mulled cider, sweet and steaming. Though I imagine historically alcohol is what my ancestors had available to them, here is a recipe that thoroughly honors the past as well as offers adaptability for celebrating life in all kinds of ways today.

Wassail Ingredients

Cider Hard or Sweet

if you want to maintain the alcohol content, simmer your hard cider to retain the alcohol. we often make a sweet cider base and then invite folx to spike as they like with brandy, bourbon, rum and, well, whatever they like.

Fruit to Festively Float

as available and / or inspired: cranberries, cored and roast apple and / or pear, whole or sliced orange and / or lemon

Spices for Mulling

both whole (so beautiful!) and ground (helps their flavor infuse deeper into the floating fruit): cinnamon, clove, allspice, star anise, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric

There are many ways to garden, to grow fruit trees and certainly there are countless ways to make your own wassail drink as well as tradition! There are countless recipes online; we always wing it and it’s always fabulous. We’ve even made wassail-nog and ohhhhhh we recommend it without reservation.

Wassail With Us!

In December 2024 we’ll gather on the farm to toast our orchard and each other, stay tuned and here’s to the health of us all, trees and salamanders, every seed and every stone…

…and for every heart yearning for wholeness, we offer you these tidings to fill your cup of gratitude and gladness.

Sow Seeds & Sing Songs,

& the whole Fruition Crew

ps

Songs! Are here to celebrate life and constantly change, just like seeds and just like us.

There are many verses to Gloucestershire Wassail, each one followed by a boisterous refrain. When we go caroling about town we often sing just two or three verses, saving the joy of all the verses (even making up new ones!) for the gatherings in homes or orchards where everyone can sink deep into the lilting melodic and transcendent gift of song.

Here are the verses we love to sing and ohhhhh it’s true: We’ve shifted the language away from the 18th Century enactment of hierarchal binaries like master, butler, servant, lad and lass. As oppressions evolve, so does resilience! Growing trees, celebrating abundance shared with friends and singing like no one is judging are three of our favorite ways to revel in and build this magic in the world.

Without further ado!

Fruition’s lyrics to

Gloucestershire Wassail

Refrain: 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 sing to thee.

Refrain!

Here’s to our horse, and to his right ear,

Let’s all send our horse a happy new year!

A happy new year as e’er he did see,

With our wassailing bowl we’ll sing to thee.

Refrain!

So here is to comrade and to his right cheek

Let’s all send our comrade a good piece of beef

And a good piece of beef that may we all see

With the wassailing bowl, we’ll sing to thee.

Refrain!

Here’s to our mare, and to her right eye,

Let’s all our Love a good Christmas pie;

A good Christmas pie as e’er I did see,

With my wassailing bowl we’ll sing to thee.

Refrain!

So here is to Dear Mary and to her bright horn

Let’s All send our Friend a good crop of corn

And a good crop of corn that may we all see

With the wassailing bowl, we’ll sing to thee.

Refrain!

Here’s to our cow and to her long tail,

Let’s all bless our Friend: she never will fail!

For a cup of good cheer we pray you draw near,

And our jolly wassail it’s then you shall hear.

Refrain!

Come neighbors, come fill us a bowl of the best

We’ll find our souls here in heaven attest 

But if we draw our bowl both meager and small

Then down shall go neighbor, bowl and all.

Refrain!

Be here any Friends? Why yes here be some;

Let’s not let friends here stand on cold stone!

Sing hey O, dear friends! come trole back the pin,

And enter we all this house of love in.

Refrain!

Then here’s to the Friend the lily white smock

Who tripped to the door and slipped back the lock

Who tripped to the door and pulled back the pin

For to let these jolly wassailers in.

Refrain!

Refrain!

Refrain!