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I have a friend who keeps going on and on lately about "wassail" and "wassailing" and I have no idea what she's talking about. Sometimes she uses it as a verb, as in, "I'm going to do some wassailing this weekend" and sometimes as a noun, such as "I'm going to have some wassail." Can Ask Gothamist clarify what she is talking about?
- Wondering about Wassail
Ask Gothamist loves wassail, and wassailing! This fascinating word has numerous meanings, and can indeed be used in both noun and verb form. Dictionary.com lists several meanings for wassail. Essentially, wassail is a holiday drink (typically spiced apple cider with or without alchohol, or a mulled wine); while to wassail is to drink (said drink) or carouse in a festive manner. Wassailing can also refer to the singing of jolly songs, and a wassail can also be a festive song. So, wassailing involves drinking, singing, and merry-making, while a wassail is a festive drink or song.
According to this wassail website,
The word wassail is from the Anglo-Saxon “waes hae,” meaning “be hale or be well.” There are three medieval English customs of wassailing whereby good health, prosperous crops and healthy animals are wished for one and all with the aid of this spiced apple drink.How about some wassail recipes? And wassail songs? Now go wassail!
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My fav. holiday carol is the, I think, Benjamin Britain song Here we come a-wassailing:
Here we come a-wassailing/Among the leaves so green,/Here we come a-wand'ring/So fair to be seen./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.
That is my favorite Christmas song too. I first learned it in its tee-totalling "here we come a-caroling" incarnation, but made the switch as soon as I learned the original. And wassail? Yum! My uncle makes a version that involves entire baked apples and walnuts. Quite delicious and toasty.
blur had recorded a "Wassailing Song", hard to find though...
"wassail, wassail all over the town / our toast it is white / our ale it is brown / our bowl is made from the white maple tree / with a wassailing bowl we'll drink to thee..."