December 7, 2006

Tis' the Season to Wassail

By Stan Dyer

"Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green; here we come a wandering so fair to be seen...", or something to that effect. I remember first hearing this song when I was eight years old. I didn't know what "a-wassailing was", and I was pretty sure I had never seen one, so I asked my more mature, older sister about the meaning of this strange, new word, "wassail". She informed me that it was the old English way of saying "caroling". From that moment on, the two words were synonymous, although I preferred to use the more familiar word in order to avoid the embarrassment of having to explain myself. It wasn't until a number of years later that I discovered the word actually had various meanings, and a colorful history. Now, for me, wassailing will never be the same.

Around the holidays in merry old England, commoners used to make a sort of homebrew or other type of alcoholic concoction to help them more enjoy the spirit of the season. They called this mixture "Wassail". That is the original meaning of the word. The word also came to be associated with the holiday "toast". Much as other countries would say "Salud", or "Cheers", revelers of the time would say, "wassail".

Not everyone could afford the ingredients for an adequate wassail. Many people of the time weren't wealthy enough to afford much of anything extra for the holidays, and barely survived the snow and the cold each year, but they still wanted to share in the spirit of the season. Since it didn't cost much to sing, the poorer people would go door-to-door singing songs of the season for their neighbors, or "caroling". The delighted neighbors, under the influence of the spirit of the season and the spirits in their wassail, would often invite the carolers in for a cup of wassail. The carolers quickly learned that this was an acceptable way to acquire free libations. Instead of just caroling, they would now wassail, hoping for the reward of a little homebrew. This is the second meaning of the word, and distinguishes it from caroling. Caroling is more in the spirit of the season; wassailing is more in the anticipation of free drink.

After wassailing through the neighborhood, house to house, it was very likely that one or more of the holiday revelers consumed more than the legal limit of wassail. Fortunately, they were all on foot. Yet, as drunks sometimes do, it was common for one to become angry with another, and a fight or even a riot would break out. Thus, wassail also came to mean a fight or a riot. This last meaning rather changes the whole sentiment of the familiar song, doesn't it? I guess that's why choirs don't sing, "Here we come a rioting among the leaves so green". It's not very festive, is it?

So, this holiday season, when you and your friends are at home wassailing with your cups of wassail, and a group comes to your door a-wassailing, remember the colorful history of the word, "Wassail". Enjoy the holiday spirit and enjoy your spirits responsibly, but avoid the wassail induced wassail. I still chuckle when I think of us eight-year-olds sitting around the school Christmas tree singing about "Wassailing" door to door. Knowledge has a way of changing things, and, for me, it means "wassail" will never be the same.