What is going wassailing?
The wassailing, or blessing of the fruit trees, involves drinking and singing to the health of the trees in the hope that they will provide a bountiful harvest in the autumn.
What does wassailing have to do with Christmas?
Wassailing is a Twelfth Night tradition that has been practised in Britain for centuries. It has its roots in a pagan custom of visiting orchards to sing to the trees and spirits in the hope of ensuring a good harvest the following season.
What does wassailing mean in English?
1 : an early English toast to someone’s health. 2 : a hot drink that is made with wine, beer, or cider, spices, sugar, and usually baked apples and is traditionally served in a large bowl especially at Christmastime. 3 : riotous drinking : revelry.
How is wassailing celebrated?
Wassailing is an annual tradition to bless orchards to ensure a good harvest for the year to come. The celebrations involve music, song, dancing and a recognition of what orchards give to us.
When did wassailing begin?
The earliest accounts of wassailing fruit trees come from the East of England—in St Albans in 1486 and Kent in 1585. But it isn’t until the 17th and 18th centuries that the wassail truly comes to prominence.
What does wassail mean in Spanish?
Inglés. Español. wassail n. archaic (drink: mulled cider)
What day do you wassail?
Traditionally, the wassail is celebrated on Twelfth Night (variously on either January 5 or 6).
What is Twelfth Night celebration?
January 5 marks Twelfth Night, a holiday in some branches of Christianity marking the coming of the Epiphany or the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the world and the coming of the Magi, and concluding the Twelve Days of Christmas.
What is the etymology of wassail?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “wassail” originated as a borrowing from the Old Norse salutation ves heill, corresponding to Old English hál wes þú or wes hál – literally meaning ‘be in good health’ or ‘be fortunate’.
What is the meaning of Compotator?
one who drinks with another
Definition of compotator : one who drinks with another.
How do I start a wassail?
And this is what you do
- Put on some music to create some Old Twelvey Night atmosphere.
- Soak a slice of toast in cider and hang it in the branches of your Wassail tree.
- Pour some cider around the roots of the tree.
- Chant the Wassail song.
- Make some loud noise with your pots and pans to scare away those evil spirits.
What is a wassail?
The orchard-visiting Wassail. In the cider-producing West of England (primarily the counties of Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire) wassailing also refers to drinking (and singing) the health of trees in the hopes that they might better thrive.
What are the two types of wassailing?
The tradition of wassailing ( alt sp wasselling) falls into two distinct categories: the house-visiting wassail and the orchard-visiting wassail.
What is the purpose of a wassailing ceremony?
The purpose of wassailing is to awake the cider apple trees and to scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest of fruit in autumn. The ceremonies of each wassail vary from village to village but they generally all have the same core elements.
What is the house-visiting wassail?
The house-visiting wassail is the practice of people going door-to-door, singing and offering a drink from the wassail bowl in exchange for gifts; this practice still exists, but has largely been displaced by carolling.