SC - Wassail traditions

[L Herr-Gelatt and J R Gelatt]

A copy of an excellent reply from a very nice lady too shy to post to the
Rialto:

>Here's the section on wassail from a paper I'm writing for the local 
>baronial newsletter's A&S edition:
>
>Another variation on the king-for-a-day is an English Twelfth Night  
>custom that was documented in the mid-nineteenth century in 
>Devonshire.  On Twelfth Night, the farmers would get their weapons, 
>gather around the oldest tree in the apple orchard, and sing a short 
>song: 
>
>Here's to thee, old apple tree 
>Whence thou mayst bud and whence thou mayst blow 
>And whence thou mayst bear apples enow: 
>Hats full, caps full,  
>Bushels, bushels, sacks full, 
>And my pockets full too! 
>
>The men would then fire their weapons at the tree.  They returned 
>to the home and would be denied entrance no matter what the weather 
>by the women indoors.  When one of the men guessed what sort of 
>roast that was being prepared for them, all were let in.  The one 
>who guessed the roast was named "King for the Evening" and 
>presided over the party until the wee hours.
>
>This custom of "wassailing" the apple tree is still done in the west 
>country in England, and has been done for centuries.  The word 
>"wassail" comes from the Anglo-Saxon "wæs hæl," meaning "be whole" or 
>"good health."  This custom dates from a medieval story, of a Saxon 
>lady named Rowena who presented Prince Vortigen with a bowl of wine, 
>toasting him with the words "wæs hæl."  Over the centuries a great 
>deal of ceremony had developed around the custom of drinking wassail. 
> The bowl is carried into a room with great fanfare, a traditional 
>carol about the drink is sung, and finally, the steaming hot beverage 
>is served.  
>
>
>
>
>Hope it's helpful!
>
>Yours in Service to the Dream,
>
>Karen Larsdatter
>  Barony of Ponte Alto, Atlantia
>


Aoife

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