What is going 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 wassailing the trees?
The orchard-visiting wassail refers to the ancient custom of visiting orchards in cider-producing regions of England, reciting incantations and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year.
When to wassail apple tree?
Traditionally, the wassail takes place on Twelfth Night – either 5, 6 or 17* January, but modern versions can take place at any point between these dates. A back garden can work just as well as an orchard.
Is wassailing a pagan?
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 does Waes hail mean?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “wassail” originated as a borrowing from the Old Norse salutation ves heill, corresponding to Old English hál wes þú or wes hál – literally meaning ‘be in good health’ or ‘be fortunate’.
Who started the tradition of wassailing?
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 the difference between apple cider and wassail?
Whats the difference between mulled cider, spiced cider, and wassail? The short answer is NOTHING! Both mulled cider and wassail refer to a spiced juice drink. While wassail is traditionally a warm spiced apple drink, other mulled ciders contain cranberry or other flavors.
What does it mean to be mulled?
mull Add to list Share. The verb mull means to think deeply about something, the way you might mull over your choice of what college to attend. When you mull something over, you ponder or seriously consider it.
Does wassail go bad?
Wassail keeps well for 4-5 days.