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What do you do when you go 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 is wassail tradition?
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 is the response to wassail?
Those sharing a bowl of wassail would wish each other “was hail,” from the Old English meaning “you be healthy,” with the response “drink hail,” or “drink well.” This holiday season, don’t just sing about wassailing—do it!
What does Waes hail mean?
It also refers to both the salute ‘Waes Hail’, the term itself is a contraction of the Middle English phrase ‘wæs hæil’, meaning litereally ‘good health’ or ‘be you healthy’.
Does wassail go bad?
Wassail keeps well for 4-5 days.
What is wassailing in Christmas song?
The Wassail Song unlike other Christmas carols does not celebrate the nativity. The Wassail Song celebrates the New Year! “Wassail” is an olde English word for a toast similar to “Good Health” and the wassail is the content of the glass or goblet ( spiced or mulled wine or ale).
Who invented wassail?
One legend about how Wassailing was created, says that a beautiful Saxon maiden named Rowena presented Prince Vortigen with a bowl of wine while toasting him with the words ‘waes hael’. Over the centuries, a great deal of ceremony developed around the custom of drinking wassail.
What is Wasle?
Definition. WASLE. World Association for Studies in Literatures in English (India) Copyright 1988-2018 AcronymFinder.com, All rights reserved.
Where does the practice of wassailing come from?
Although wassailing is often described in innocuous and sometimes nostalgic terms—still practised in some parts of Scotland and Northern England on New Years Day as ” first-footing “—the practice in England has not always been considered so innocent. Similar traditions have also been traced to Greece and the country of Georgia.
Why do people still drink the wassail Cup?
The wassail cup [the drink] and the tradition surrounding it are the antithesis.” Others believe the resurgence has gone hand-in-hand with the increased popularity of community orchards and allotments, as the ceremony is also held to encourage an abundant harvest. Either way, this year, you’ll need to know the etiquette. Here’s our guide.
Who are the revellers in the wassailing procession?
The celebrations vary from region to region, but generally involve a wassail King and Queen leading the assembled group of revellers, comprising the farmers, farm workers and general villagers, in a noisy procession from one orchard to the next.
Where is the wassailing Festival in North Somerset?
Clevedon (North Somerset) holds an annual Wassailing event in the popularly attended Clevedon Community Orchard, combining the traditional elements of the festival with the entertainment and music of the Bristol Morris Men and their cantankerous Horse.