Definitions Deconstructed
Wassail
S. G. Lacey
Definition:
1 (noun): Spiced ale or mulled wine drunk during celebrations for Christmas Eve and Twelfth Night.
2 (verb): Drink plentiful amounts of alcohol and enjoy oneself with others in a raucous way. [REF]
Deconstruction:
Any word that is both a noun and a verb is worth exploring. Especially when using the specific item facilitates the amusing activity in question.
Who doesn’t enjoy a little neighborhood door to door caroling after imbibing in a few internally warming libations?
As each successive holiday season rolls around, various historic wassail recipes get dusted off. The ingredients used, method of preparation, and serving implements are all reminiscent of memorable festive times in the past.
Considering the meaning of the word wassail, it’s not hard to predict the language of origin. Old Norse. Is there any surprise that such bold commentary is attributed to the Viking lineage known for feasting, boozing, and celebration of life in their great halls?
Originating from a simple language with very literal terminology, the direct translation is quite telling. Combined word stems of “vesa”, meaning “to be”, and “heill”, for “healthy”, the celebratory cheer of this statement becomes evident. Transition the ancient “v” and “h” to modern “w” and “a” sounds, respectively, and you end up with the expression in question
While the initial usage can be traced all the way back to the 8th century, these same sentiments of spirited festivity are just as applicable in this modern age. Along the way, wassailing has taken many twists and turns.
One common trade which is perpetually trying to improve their lot in life, and their luck, are farmers. This perennial profession is always looking to influence their crop yields, through all means necessary, from pleas to the gods, to investment in new equipment. This relentless pursuit of success led a band of pioneering farmers from Devonshire, located in the rural southwest portion of Britain, to adopt a unique agricultural approach. One which clearly shaped the word wassail.
A ceremony to honor the local apple trees, promoting fertility of the snarled branches, and scaring away the blight with often plagued the leaves. Using the bountiful juice from these same floras, with a little dose of aged spirits blended in. May as well sacrifice a small quantity of liquid to generate substantial plant progress.
The original ritualistic event occurred specifically on Twelfth Night, the culmination of the Christmas religious holiday, at the end of the first week of January, hoping to influence the pending spring growth. Inevitably, this practice deteriorated into a variety of random acts. Pouring cider on the exposed roots. Wandering through the grove banging pots together. Singing to the orchard, like the classy tune listed below.
There clearly must have been some inebriation driving these acts. But at least they came up with clever lyrics. And the vibrant apple trees to this region continue to produce to this day.
Let every man take off his hat,
And shout out to th'old apple tree.
Old apple tree we wassail thee,
And hoping thou will bear.
As time passed, a variety of disjointed local concepts, like the Devonshire apple farmers odd sacraments, and the Celtic pagans late-summer Lammas Day harvest festival, were combined into a refined concept. Wassailing, now earning capitalization, the United Kingdom’s Yuletide tradition of townwide door-to-door interaction, each household sharing their own version of a hot, spiced, alcoholic beverage with visitors, allowing much cheer to be had. Not a bad scheme for the holidays.
There are countless uses of this compelling term throughout literary records, by some of the foremost English writers. The anonymous group of Anglo-Saxon sages who penned the epic poem Beowulf used wassail as a salute to the brave warriors in the plot. Geoffrey of Monmouth similarly applied this term as a greeting call during his translated dictation of Rowena. Turning the word into a generic description of partying, Shakespeare transformed the English language as usual in his well-known play Hamlet. An entire canon of holiday writing by Charles Dickens, from celebratory to Scrooge-like, is based on the popular London practice of wassailing.
Wassail now has an impressively diverse set of definitions. Greeting. A warm drink. Toasting. A social gathering. Caroling. A holiday song. All these activities can be initiated with a single word, provided one is in the right cultural context, with knowledgeable lexicon participants. Basically, wassail means get ready for a fun night.
For those interested in etymology, this term was used heavily throughout the 17th century, peaking in 1840. Understandably, in the current era, application of this wizen word has lapsed by over 90%. Yet, we continue to party around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, in all forms and fashions.
In fact, the commonly used “toast”, uttered countless times at nearly every wedding ceremony these days, and accompanied by a broad quality range of speech content, stems from a wassail tradition started way back in the 13th century.
When amassed participants gathered around a boiling bowl of flavorful liquid, they often dropped sliced bread into this caldron as a means of mitigating the boozy liquid effect with a base of robust starch. This phenomenon isn’t that different from drinking light beer and eating potato chips while viewing one’s favorite sports event on television. A weekend staple for much of current American society.
The wassail tradition is not just English anymore, having transferred in various hydration forms to several other cold weather countries. Flavorful “glühwein” mulled wine offered up throughout Germany. Hot buttered rum holiday punch in the United States. Japanese “kanzake” with “matcha”, sake and green tea, both served steaming.
The real question is how does one make wassail in the traditional manner? This turns out to be quite a complex and contentious question. Piecing together various historical records yields possible beginning and end points, though the progression over time, based on available ingredients and personal preferences, is harder to pin down.
The earliest versions of this warm libation were undoubtably basic: warmed mead, a sweet wine made from honey and using natural yeast fermentation, with a few local aromatic herbs thrown in to provide flavor complexity. Like most classics, the contemporary Hot Toddy, simply made from hot water, honey, whiskey, lemon juice, and cinnamon, has become a very popular cocktail throughout frigid regions of the globe.
The diversity in large communal bowls used to serve the toasty wassail concoction varied just as much as the local recipes. Decoratively carved wood, painted porcelain pottery, ornate pewter tins. Fancy was preferred, but really any vessel worked, provided it could hold liquid. The larger the better of course. To promote lubricated socializing, and avoid running out.
Everyone has their own unique wassail formulation. Below is a trio of tasty recipes, covering a range of taste profiles, and booze preferences. No exact measurements have been provided, since this is a taste-as-you-go formulation process. Also, feel free to mix and match ingredients as desired.
Apple Cider, Brandy, Brown Sugar, Green Apple Slices, Cinnamon, Nutmeg.
Dark Beer, Rum, Honey, Whipped Egg Whites, Allspice, Ginger.
Dry Red Wine, Orange Liquor, Sugar, Orange Slices, Cloves, Star Anise.
The best part about wassail, is that it’s a holiday experience, as much as a recipe, open for broad interpretation in both constitution and companions. Of course, the alcohol additions are optional, but strongly encouraged, especially on frosty winter nights.
Interestingly, for centuries, wassailing has been associated with collaborative socializing, poor and rich, young and old, comingling in harmony. In modern society, there’s not much sharing of vessels, residences, possessions, or insights. Maybe we need to get back to simpler times. Wassailing. Just like the good old days.
Traditional Gloucestershire Wassail:
Wassail! Wassail! All over the town,
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown,
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree,
With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink unto thee.
Details: