Wassail bowl | Mulled Wine, Medieval Feasts & Christmas Celebrations (2024)

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Wassail bowl | Mulled Wine, Medieval Feasts & Christmas Celebrations? ›

The word 'wassail' comes from the Anglo-Saxon phrase 'waes hael', which means 'good health'. Originally, the wassail was a drink made of mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and sugar. It was served from huge bowls, often made of silver or pewter.

The first mention of a wassail bowl was in the thirteenth century, a vessel in which revelers dipped cakes and fine bread. The practice of floating crisps of bread in the wassail bowl gave rise to our use of "toast" as a drinking salutation.

What is wassailing? The purpose is to encourage the spirits into ensuring a good harvest the following season. It takes place on the twelfth night after Christmas and involves a visit to a nearby orchard for singing, dancing, drinking and general merrymaking.

The purpose of wassailing is to awaken the cider apple trees and to scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest of fruit in the Autumn. The ceremonies of each wassail vary from village to village but they generally all have the same core elements.

There are very few differences between mulled cider and Wassail Punch. Both contain spices and some juice. One of the main differences is that mulled wine is often made with whole oranges. However, Wassail is traditionally made with apple juice.

wassail • \WAH-sul\ • verb. 1 : to indulge in riotous drinking : carouse 2 : (dialectal, England) to sing carols from house to house at Christmas 3 : to drink to the health or thriving of.

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 carol singing.

Wassailing: an ancient Pagan ritual conducted in deep mid-winter, to bless Apples trees for a bountiful harvest for the next season.

“The term 'wassail' comes from an Anglo-Saxon phrase that meant good health, so it was a toast to good health,” Lynch-Thomason said. “Wassail itself was a drink, usually made from ale and cooked apples and a lot of spices that would be served in households, often around Twelfth Night or Christmastime or New Year's.

One involved groups of merrymakers going from one house to another, wassail bowl in hand, singing songs and spreading good wishes. The other form of wassailing was practiced in the countryside in fruit growing regions, where the trees were blessed.

Did medieval people drink cider? ›

During Medieval times France was the cradle of cider culture, Normandy in particular, where is was considered a luxury good, only reserved to the richest citizens.

Tips to improve your English pronunciation:

Break 'wassail' down into sounds: [WOS] + [AYL] - say it out loud and exaggerate the sounds until you can consistently produce them.

Traditional wassail was made with hard liquor, apples, brandy, and other spices. This recipe is made with cloves, apples, cinnamon, lemon, orange, ginger, and nutmeg and is a nonalcoholic wassail recipe. You could certainly add alcohol if you wish by adding a splash of brandy, bourbon, rum, or whiskey, to taste.

It soon became a festive staple as people used to make this flavourful drink during winter months only. They used to prepare this drink, especially during Christmas, while enjoying the festival with their friends and family. Soon this became a tradition and is being followed till date.

The ancient New Year practice of wassailing was practiced in Glamorgan, when parties would progress from house to house with traditional greetings for the health and prosperity of the inhabitants, which were acknowledged with spiced ale, dispensed in a wassail bowl carried round by the party.

Slices of bread or toast were laid at the roots and sometimes tied to branches. Cider was also poured over the tree roots. The ceremony is said to "bless" the trees to produce a good crop in the forthcoming season.

Orchard wassailing is an old English tradition where each year around January 17th (The Old Twelfth Night) people gather together to perform a ceremony in honor of the apple trees. The ceremony is meant to promote the health of the trees and to ensure a bountiful harvest in the coming season.

The entire event is outdoors. You should wear footwear suitable for muddy and uneven ground. Wear warm / waterproof clothing appropriate for the conditions. This is a fun evening so you may wish to dress up a little with fancy Wassail hats and coats.