In Wassail we celebrate the making of intentions at the beginning of a new cycle, both for ourselves, and in giving of blessings and good wishes to others.

The word "wassail" comes from the Anglo-Saxon "wes hail", meaning "be whole" or "be in good health" which was spoken on meeting and parting. Hail is an older form of our modern words "health" and "hale", which means "exceptional health and vigor" and is also closely connected with our word "hail" meaning "to salute, greet, or welcome."

"Hail" later became the salutation you offered as a toast, to drink to the health or prospering of, to which the standard reply was "drinc hail," meaning "drink good health and prospering."

Legend has it that the first wassail toast was made to the British king Vortigern (who was in power in the mid-400s) by the Saxon princess Renwein. At a banquet, she entered carrying a golden goblet full of wine, walked up to the King, curtsied low, and said "Lavert King, was hail!" When he saw her face, Vortigern was greatly struck by her beauty and was filled with desire. He asked his interpreter what the girl had said and what he should reply to her. "She called you Lord King," answered the interpreter, "and did you honor by drinking your health. What you should reply is `drinc hail'." Vortigern immediately said "drinc hail" and ordered Renwein to drink. Then he took the goblet from her hand, kissed her and drank in his turn. They performed the same exchange at their wedding, which gave rise to the custom for marrying couples to drink alternately from the same cup with the exchange "wassail" and "drinc hail."

It became the custom in England to drink a toast of "Wassail" on Christmas, New Years, and Twelfth Night, and was celebrated in three ways.

Wassail in the hall occurred at feasts and other indoor parties. One custom was to pass a single Wassail Cup around the table, each taking a sip before passing it on to the next guest.

Wassail door to door was celebrated by carolers as they went from house to house singing carols of good wishes for the coming year. It was a sign of good luck to have them visit. In various traditions, wassail was given by either the carolers or the villagers, in some places to decrease stores of alcoholic cider before the tax man came for the year, and in other places to give thanks for the good wishes given by the carolers.

Wassail bowls were also brought into the barnyard to toast the health of cattle, fruit trees, and fields, especially the apple trees. In the western counties of Britain, the tradition grew up on Twelfth Night of toasting the good health of the apple trees that would bear the crop from which next year's cider would be made. Pieces of bread soaked in cider were placed in the crooks of trees, guns were fired and pots and pans were banged to ward off evil spirits, and the trees were toasted with special rhymes, such as:

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.

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!

Stand fast root, bear well top
Pray the God send us a howling good crop.
Every twig, apples big.
Every bough, apples now.

Bud well, bear well
Spring well in April,
Every sprig and every spray
A bushel of apples next New Year Day.

The Wassail tradition is a good way to bless all living beings for good health, prosperity, and well being in all ways in the coming year.

The Wassail Bowl

The "Wassail Bowl" was a great punch bowl decorated with ribbons and sprigs of rosemary and holly. Use a large bowl and tie a wide ribbon around the rim, which can then hold the decorations. Some traditional Wassail Bowls were made of wood, others had two, four, and even twelve handles, to aid the passing of the bowl between celebrants.

The Wassail Bowl symbolically serves as being the "One Source" from which all celebrants take their drink.

There are three types of Wassail, on which all other recipes are a variation.

Apple Wassail was used for wassailing fruit-bearing trees, particularly apple trees. The basic recipe was to mix baked apples with apple cider, honey, and spices.

"Bishop" contained citrus, which at the time was considered an expensive ingredient. It was what we know now as a mulled or spiced wine, being made of a base of warmed port wine (or claret, or even red table wine), with the addition of brandy, spices, and citrus fruit and peel. Bishop is more appropriate for wassailing in the hall and particularly door to door to warm wassailers who have been out in the cold.

Eggnog is the modern name for an old drink called "Posset", which has eggs as the central ingredient, along with sugar, sherry, cream, and nutmeg. Since this is a cold drink, it is best for wassailing in the hall.

Wassail is one of those recipes for which there are many variations. Modern recipes add everything from cranberry juice to pineapple. Whatever is local and in season is appropriate for your Wassail Bowl.

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