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Wassailing Days and Christmas Carolers!
"🎶 Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green;
Here we come a-wand'ring
So fair to be seen.
REFRAIN:
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.
Our wassail cup is made
Of the rosemary tree,
And so is your beer
Of the best barley."
~ Traditional
For those who like their tartans dark and toasty with the colours of nature, this deep, warmly spiced tartan takes its inspiration from a warm bowl of apple and herbed wassail, perfect for braving the frosty air and joining in a jubilant chorus of carols! Wassailing, steeped in ancient tradition, was originally celebrated on Twelfth Night with songs and toasts to the health of cider apple trees, meant to ensure a fruitful bounty in the coming season. Over time, the custom spread to include carolers traveling from door to door, spreading joy and festive melodies in the period prior to Christmas as well. In Victorian times, bands of beggars and orphans would traverse the snowy streets offering songs of goodwill and fortunes foretold in exchange for a ladle from the communal wassail bowl, a penny, a pork pie, or even a moment by the warmth of a hearth. The wassail bowl itself was a convivial concoction—hot ale or beer infused with apples, fragrant spices, and sweet mead—its hearty brew enough to thaw frozen fingers and warm the throats of the singers! So, raise a cup and toast the season of Christmases past, present and future! Fa la la la la and Cheers! 🤎 ❤️ 💚 💙 💛 🥃 🍎 🍊 🍋 🎄
"Wassail! wassail! all over the town,
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;
With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink unto thee."
Wassail is a spiced ale or mulled wine punch often associated with Yuletide and drunk from a 'wassailing bowl' on Christmas or Twelfth Night celebrations. The earliest versions were warmed mead – ale brewed with honey – into which roasted crab apples were dropped and burst to create a drink called 'lambswool'.
The drink later evolved into a mulled cider made with sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, topped with slices of toast as sops and drunk from a large communal bowl. Wassail bowls with highly decorated lids were made from wood, pottery or tin and often had many handles for shared drinking.
Modern recipes for Christmas wassail begin with a base of wine, fruit juice or mulled ale, sometimes with brandy or sherry, apples or oranges, and possibly call for beaten eggs to be tempered into the drink.
By designer Carol A.L. Martin, this tartan suggests yuletide decorations and the colors of a spicy Christmas punch.
For a rich and spicy lambswool wassail recipe made with Madeira, click the punch bowl!