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.
REFRAIN
We are not daily beggars
That beg from door to door;
But we are neighbours' children,
Whom you have seen before.
REFRAIN
God bless the master of this house
Likewise the mistress too,
And all the little children
That round the table go.
REFRAIN
Good master and good mistress,
While you're sitting by the fire,
Pray think of us poor children
Who are wandering in the mire.
REFRAIN
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.
REFRAIN
We are not daily beggars
That beg from door to door;
But we are neighbours' children,
Whom you have seen before.
REFRAIN
God bless the master of this house
Likewise the mistress too,
And all the little children
That round the table go.
REFRAIN
Good master and good mistress,
While you're sitting by the fire,
Pray think of us poor children
Who are wandering in the mire.
REFRAIN
The lyrics above are intended to give a flavour of the typical lyrics, other versions from around the country can be seen found below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_We_Come_A-wassailing, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloucestershire_Wassail
There's a Yorkshire variant too: https://youtu.be/5orHbsRcGi8?fbclid=IwAR3H4P30XLNk91lk3-9AjeqmbvUyZ6jQ15SXb0Q1va75_xMckq9oQDM5CMQ
Wassailing is a tradition that bears some resemblance to trick-or-treating and other older 'visiting customs'. A group (probably men traditionally) go from house to house singing, bringing good luck and are rewarded with drink and food. The word comes from Anglo-Saxon was hal, 'be you hale', or healthy. The singers offer wishes for a happy and prosperous new year for the household in return for the food, drink and possibly money.
"Bring us out a table
And spread it with a cloth;
Bring us out a mouldy cheese,
And some of your Christmas loaf."
And spread it with a cloth;
Bring us out a mouldy cheese,
And some of your Christmas loaf."
Presumably that's a blue cheese rather than one that's gone off! 'We wish you a merry Christmas' fits in the same category, with its good tidings to 'you and your kin' and demands for figgy pudding- not to mention threats not to leave until the singers' demands have been met. It probably wasn't a good idea to refuse- let alone the 'bad luck', it's likely a group of well-lubricated wassailers could turn nasty if not rewarded.
The book 'Folklore of Yorkshire' by Kai Roberts [1] describes groups of children going from door to door with a 'Vessel cup' and decorated figures of Mary and Jesus, or a decorated holly branch. Other Yorkshire visiting customs included 'first-footing' where it was considered lucky for certain types of people (dark rather than ginger haired, for example) to be the first to cross a house's threshold on Christmas or New Year's day, or for someone to symbolically sweep away the old year from a house- again in return for money or food. Poorer people could 'earn' a little from the lord of the manor and richer neighbors to help them through the darkest part of winter.
Wassailing also involved other customs. In cider-producing parts of England apple trees were wassailed as a sort of blessing or invocation to ensure a good crop the following autumn, in customs involving cider, toast dipped in cider hung on the tree branches (apparently for robins, who were seen as good spirits- don't try this at home unless you want drunk robins!), and singing to scare away evil spirits. This was done on Twelfth Night, the twelfth day of Christmas, that marked the end of celebrations before everyone went back to work- and to trying to survive the winter. [2]
This may not seem to have much to do with Christmas as a religious festival. Again there are hints of traditions that have more to do with pagan beliefs than Christian ones. But it did act as a way for a community to pull together to get through the worst of the winter, in a way perhaps not very far away from charity carol singers and Christmas appeals today. Humans seem to need festivals and celebrations, to act as markers and reminders that there is more than day to day life, that there is something beyond, whether that's the needs of the wider community or the call of faith. I hope Christmas can continue to be a time when we are reminded of the needs of others, and are able to act on that prompt, whether by giving money to charity, food to a foodbank, time to the lonely or your voice to calls for a better world.
[1] Available from York's e-library, worth a look if you're interested in local folklore.
Wassailing also involved other customs. In cider-producing parts of England apple trees were wassailed as a sort of blessing or invocation to ensure a good crop the following autumn, in customs involving cider, toast dipped in cider hung on the tree branches (apparently for robins, who were seen as good spirits- don't try this at home unless you want drunk robins!), and singing to scare away evil spirits. This was done on Twelfth Night, the twelfth day of Christmas, that marked the end of celebrations before everyone went back to work- and to trying to survive the winter. [2]
This may not seem to have much to do with Christmas as a religious festival. Again there are hints of traditions that have more to do with pagan beliefs than Christian ones. But it did act as a way for a community to pull together to get through the worst of the winter, in a way perhaps not very far away from charity carol singers and Christmas appeals today. Humans seem to need festivals and celebrations, to act as markers and reminders that there is more than day to day life, that there is something beyond, whether that's the needs of the wider community or the call of faith. I hope Christmas can continue to be a time when we are reminded of the needs of others, and are able to act on that prompt, whether by giving money to charity, food to a foodbank, time to the lonely or your voice to calls for a better world.
[1] Available from York's e-library, worth a look if you're interested in local folklore.
