Seasonal Things - Wassail

   Well I think this has to be my final contribution before Christmas and it is a little more hurried than I would like it to be. There is an Old English tradition, perhaps going back to Saxon times, known as wassailing. The word wassail comes from the Saxon “waes hal” and literally means “good health.”

   For most people wassailing, I suspect, is associated with the bowl of intoxicating liquor that was traditionally carried around the village by young girls, at Christmas time and on Twelfth Night. The household would be invited to drink from the wassail cup, in return for which, they would give silver or other coins in payment. The drink itself was known as Lambs Wool. So here are a couple of variations on the wassail song, the variations reflecting changes or slightly different local customs.

                Wassail Song

Now Christmas is come’n, and New Year begin
Pray open your doors, and let us come in,
with our wassail, wassail, wassail,
And joy come with our jolly wassail.

This ancient house we will kindly salute
it is an old custom you need not dispute.
With our wassail, wassail, wassail,
And joy come with our jolly wassail.

We hope that your apple trees will prosper and bear
and bring forth good cider when we come next year.
With our wassail, wassail, wassail,
And joy come with our jolly wassail.

We hope that your barley will prosper and grow
that you may have plenty and some to bestow.
With our wassail, wassail, wassail,
And joy come with our jolly wassail.

Good Mistress and Master how can you forbear
come fill up our bowl with cider or beer.
With our wassail, wassail, wassail,
And joy come with our jolly wassail.
_______

In turn, this is a more expansive version from Grampound in Cornwall and note the the pause in their singing. It’s a little on the long side, but none the worse for that, if you follow the story closely:

Now here at this house we first will be seen
To drink the king's health such a custom has been
Now unto the master we'll drink his good health
We hope he may prosper in virtue and wealth

Chorus:
Wassail, wassail, wassail, wassail
And joy come to our jolly wassail

In a friendly manner this house we salute,
For it is an old custom, you need not dispute;
Ask not the reason from where it did spring,
For you know very well it's an old ancient thing.

Chorus:

Now here at your door we orderly stand
With our jolly wassail and our hats in our hand
We do wish you good health unto master and dame,
To children and servants we do wish the same

Chorus:

It has been the custom, as I've been told
By ancient housekeepers in days of old,
When young men and maidens together draw near
They fill up our bowls with cider or beer

Chorus:

Come fill up our wassail bowl full to the brim,
See, harnessed and garnished so neat and so trim
Sometimes with laurel and sometimes with bays
According to custom to keep the old ways

Chorus:

(Pause for drink)

Methinks I do smile to see the bowl full,
Which just now was empty and now filled do grow
By the hands of good people, long may they remain
And love to continue the same to maintain

Chorus:

Now neighbours and strangers we always do find
And hope we shall be courteous, obliging and kind;
And hope your civility to us will be proved
As a piece of small silver in token of love

Chorus:

(Pause for collection)

We wish you great plenty and long time to live
Because you were so willing and freely to give
To our jolly wassail most cheerful and bold,
Long may you be happy, long may you live bold

Chorus:

We hope your new apple trees prosper and bear,
That we shall have cider again next year;
For where you've a hogshead we hope you'll have ten,
That you will have cider when we come again

Chorus:

We hope all your barley will prosper and grow,
That you may have barley and beer to bestow;
For where you've a bushel we hope you'll have ten,
That you will have beer when we come again

Chorus:

Now for this good liquor to us you do bring,
We'll lift up our voices and merrily sing,
That all good householders may continue still
And provide some good liquor our bowl for to fill

Chorus:

Now for this good liquor, your cider or beer,
Now for the great kindness that we have had here,
We'll return our thanks, and shall still bear in mind
How you have been bountiful, loving and kind

Chorus:

Now for the great kindness that we have received
We return you our thanks and shall take our leave;
From this present time we shall bid you adieu
Until the next year when the time do ensue

Chorus:

Now jolly old Christmas is passing away;
According to custom this is the last day
That we shall enjoy along with you to bide
So farewell old Christmas, this merry old tide
_____
Source: Palmer, R (1979) Everyman's Book of English Country Songs. London, Dent
_____

   Now the wassail greeting wasn’t restricted to fellow townsfolk, but an essential aspect of wassailing was to wish "good health", to the apple tree. After all, no apples, or a poor harvest next year, meant less intoxicating liquor at Christmas. So the villagers would wassail around an apple tree. Clearly, this was an ancient ritual where a shot was fired into the branches of the apple tree to ward off bad spirits, and “toast” cake and cider were ritual offerings. So here is an apple tree wassailing song, but first the preamble, taken from, Mainly Norfolk: English Folk and Other Good Music, and who in turn are quoting from the Illustrated London News of January 11, 1851:

"On Twelfth Eve, in Devonshire, it is customary for the farmer to leave his warm fireside, accompanied by a band of rustics, with guns, blunderbusses, etc., presenting an appearance which at other times would be somewhat alarming. Thus armed, the band proceed to an adjoining orchard, where is selected one of the most fruitful and aged of the apple trees, grouping round which they stand and offer up their invocations in the following doggerel rhyme:"

"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,
Bushels,
Bushels, sacks full,
And my pockets full, too!
Huzza! hyzza!"

"After which the cider jug is then passed around, and with many a hearty shout, the party fire off their guns, charged with powder only, amidst the branches."


But here in a Wassail song, is a clue to the recipe.

                    Jolly Wassail

A Wassail a wassail throughout this old town
Our cup is white and our ale is brown.
Our wassail is made of the good ale and true
Some nutmeg and ginger – the best we could brew.

[And it’s . . .] Our Wassail, Jolly Wassail
Joy come to our Jolly Wassail.

Our wassail was made with an Elderberry bough
And so my good neighbour we’ll drink unto thee.
Besides all on earth you’ll have apples in store
Pray let us come in for it’s cold by the door.

[And it’s . . .] Our Wassail, Jolly Wassail
Joy come to our Jolly Wassail

We hope that your apple trees prosper and bear
So we may have cider when we call next year.
And when you’ve one barrel we hope you have ten
So we can have cider when we call again.

[And it’s . . .] Our Wassail, Jolly Wassail
Joy come to our jolly Wassail

Hear we jolly Wassailers weary and cold
Pray drop us some silver into our old bowl.
And if we’re alive in another new-year
Perhaps we may call and see who do live here.

[And it’s . . .] Our Wassail, Jolly Wassail
Joy come to our jolly Wassail
_____

   And lastly a lovely song that is still very popular and that captures the spirit of the occasion. It is humorous and repetitious, (which makes it easy to remember when you have had a few drinks,) and it is sung with gusto.

LANDLORD

Chorus: -
Come Landlord fill the flowing bowl
Until it doth run over.
Come Landlord fill the flowing bowl
Until it doth run over.
For tonight we’ll merry merry be
For tonight we’ll merry merry be
For tonight we’ll merry merry be
Tomorrow we’ll be sober.

Here’s to the man who drinks light ale
And goes to bed quite sober.
Here’s to the man who drinks light ale
And goes to bed quite sober.
He fades as the leaves do fade…
He fades as the leaves do fade…
He fades as the leaves do fade…
And drops off in October.

Chorus. Come Landlord etc

Here’s to the girl who steals a kiss
And runs to tell her mother.
Here’s to the girl who steals a kiss
And runs to tell her mother.
She’s a very foolish thing…
She’s a very foolish thing…
She’s a very foolish thing…
She’ll never get another.

Chorus. Come Landlord etc

Here’s to the man who drinks brown ale
And goes to bed quite mellow.
Here’s to the man who drinks brown ale
And goes to bed quite mellow.
He lives as he ought to live…
He lives as he ought to live…
He lives as he ought to live…
And dies a jolly good fellow.

Chorus. Come Landlord etc

Here’s to the girl who steals a kiss
And comes back for another.
Here’s to the girl who steals a kiss
And comes back for another.
She’s a boon to all mankind…
She’s a boon to all mankind…
She’s a boon to all mankind…
She’ll very soon be a mother.

Chorus. Come Landlord

_______________
Cormac E McCloskey

Mainly Norfolk: English Folk and Other Good Music   here


Note: This blog, "Seasonal Things - Wassail" was first published on Windows Live Spaces, by me, on 23rd December 2005