What is wassail and why don’t we go a-wassailing anymore? These are just a few of the questions that this home-educating mama was forced to answer for my kiddos one year. They knew Hot Wassail was a special drink we reserved for our Christmas season traditions but where did it come from they queried? Reliably they would perk up at the lyric “Here we come a-wassailing among the trees so green…” and would quiz me again. Determined to model the learning lifestyle, I prepared myself with answers that would not let them down the next time they asked about our hot wassail drink.
Legends
At first-glance I must admit that I had to raise my eyebrows quite a bit as the tales of Old English shenanigans around the wassail bowl were discovered in my research. Many of the tales and traditions were quite harmless but others that I uncovered left me a bit shocked at the behavior of those naughty wassailing wenches. This mama is certainly glad to see some traditions pass and new ones take their place!
Origins
The word wassail itself is likely a greeting from Old Norse ves heil and the Old English was hál and, like many old-fashioned words, it surfaces only briefly these days as part of dearly-loved and widely-held holiday traditions. I love it when words like this pop-up and send me on a quest to know more. Additionally, we were quite excited to see wassail show up this fall as my 8th grader was reading the epic Beowulf as part of her homeschool literature studies.
The Oxford dictionary sent a few returns my way:
archaic
verb
gerund or present participle: wassailing
- 1.
drink plentiful amounts of alcohol and enjoy oneself with others in a noisy, lively way.
“he feasted and wassailed with his warriors”
- 2.
go from house to house at Christmas singing carols.
“here we go a-wassailing”
Nostalgia
The first dictionary definition was obviously not at all part of our tradition, but the second certainly was. The goal is to create lasting memories that our loved ones will look back on with nostalgia and great fondness. Thankfully, our church still has the habit of Christmas-caroling to our elderly and shut-in members so the kiddos were familiar with that practice. Now they were armed with a new and interesting way to describe caroling which pleased them greatly. Yeah, I know, homeschoolers are weird like that. Haha!
Traditions
We certainly enjoy our Hot Wassail Drink each season with some Gingerbread Waffles for breakfast, Peppermint Crinkle Cookies and a movie, or with some Favorite Fudge and carols around the Christmas Tree. Don’t become overwhelmed if this recipe is just a bit too much right now. Here is a busy mama Homemaking Hack for you. Get yourself to Aldi during the fall/winter seasons and buy a bottle or two of their Spiced Apple Cider. It is delicious and inexpensive. Pour it in a pot, empty a bag of cinnamon Red Hot candies in, allow them to dissolve and call it good! Three cheers for Mama and nobody has to nick a finger slicing oranges or apples for the wassail garnish.
Here’s to your wassailing adventures and family traditions! Be sure to let us know in the comment below if you have enjoyed our Hot Wassail Drink as well.
Hot Wassail Drink
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Pineapple Juice
- 2 Cup Orange Juice
- 3 Cup Cranberry-Apple Juice Blend can substitute just cranberry or just apple
- 4 Cinnamon Sticks
- 5 Whole Cloves
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottom stockpot combine all of the juices.
- Slice one whole orange (if you desire) for added flavor and garnish.
- Allow beverage to simmer at least 25 mins before serving.