Join our Jolly Wassail! – December 7th, 6pm at The Kump House

Cover Photo: “Hedingham Fair’s first Wassail design; ‘Joy come to our Jolly Wassail’, 1997 (Cater 2013:4).

As we begin planning for our December 7th Wassail, some members of the Lift Your Voice choir (myself included!) and the wider Elkins community might ask: “What in the world is a Wassail and why are these people spending their evening singing to an apple tree?!?!?” I hope this blog convinces you to join our Wassail at the Kump House and the fundraiser at Big Timber afterwards! It is sure to be a fun evening where we thank our community and celebrate our connections as well as our apple trees in a unique and hauntingly exciting way. I also want to give a huge thank you to Alicia Erjavec, Augusta’s newest AFNHA AmeriCorps serving as the Programs Coordinator. She was a huge help in researching Wassailing for this blog post!

To begin to understand Wassailing, one must first ask: where does this ancient tradition come from and what does it mean to be performing our own kind of Wassail all the way across the Atlantic from the tradition’s origins in England? While there is not a solid date or place where the Wassail first appeared, the term can be traced back as far as the 5th century and possibly further. “Its oldest legend involves Rowena, daughter of Hengist, a Saxon mercenary, who presents the future King Vortigern with a bowl of mulled wine and the cheer ‘Waes Hael!’, to which Vortigern replies ‘Drinc Hael’, now recognized as the traditional reply.” (Cater 2013: 15) … “The salutation ‘Wassail’ probably derives from the Anglo Saxon ‘Waes bu hael’ (originating from the Old Norse “ves heill”), meaning ‘Be of good health’ and consists of two Old English components, ‘waes’ and ‘hael’.” (Cater 2013: 15). In the famous epic, Beowulf, written around the 8th to 11th century, the word Wassail is mentioned: 

“Waes thu hal”

The rider sleepeth, 

the hero, far-hidden; no harp resounds, 

in the courts no wassail, as once was heard.

(Cater 2013: 16).

Old tapestry showing a wassail bowl being shared (Cater 2013:16).

While the older references do not directly mention ceremonies surrounding the phrase that turned into the word Wassail, the spirit of it persists. Wassail means to drink for good health and in the modern day it represents an ancient tradition of blessing neighbors, trees, and other aspects of life such as livestock so that they may have good health through the winter and a bountiful harvest come next fall. “The word Wassail, ‘was firmly embedded in the English language by the mid-thirteenth century, not only as a personal drinking salutation, but a festive occasion with much drinking and pledging of healths’” (Cater 2013: 17).  

“Generally, medieval wassailing took place during the Twelve Days of Christmas; a time of extensive merrymaking in which feasting, pageants, drinking, carousing, and entertainment were commonplace amongst the well to do” (Cater 2013: 18-19). Apple tree wassails in particular often took place on Twelfth Night– which is currently on January 5th or 6th– or originally on Old Twelfth Night– held on January 17th. While our Wassail is happening before Twelfth Night, it is still in the range of Wassailing dates as Christmas and the winter months are nearing us. While I’ve established where we think Wassailing came from, a toast to health, a salute, and a blessing of crops or others before the long winter, the modern version of Wassailing is a much more complex tradition. The word and tradition Wassail has changed over the centuries to represent two distinct, yet related traditions. The first is a Wassail where people carol and go door to door asking for money and blessings during the Twelve Days of Christmas, and the second is an Apple Tree Wassail, which instead blesses the orchards and trees through the coming winter months. Our choir is working on the latter tradition. For sake of time and clarity, I want to solely focus on the traditions and intentions behind Apple Tree Wassails, but please take your own time to look up the other version of Wassailing if you are curious!

Apple Tree Wassailing

Old apple tree, we’ll wassail thee

And a-hoping thou wilt bear.

For the Lord does know where we may go

To be merry another year.

The origins of Apple Tree Wassailing are hard to trace back to a specific date, but we know it was being done in the medieval era and remained a tradition despite increasing Christianity in the area which would usually reject so-called “Pagan” traditions like Wassailing. It is thought that Wassailing was accepted by religious leaders because the magical elements could be tied easily with the Lord’s blessing and religious “magic”, so Wassailing was allowed to continue on through the ages. The main goal of Apple Tree Wassailing was to chase off the evil spirits, or sometimes just the bugs, from the apple trees and bless them so that they bear a good harvest next fall. One of the main traditions is pouring cider made from the apple trees onto the roots of the trees during the wassail. Often, most of the singing and blessing is focused on the largest tree in the orchard. While many different farming communities across England have different traditions and elements to their Wassail, the intent remains the same. In the 20th century, the folk music revival also played a hand in reviving Wassailing traditions that became lost as communities became less rural and the church became increasingly disapproving of “pagan” rituals. Wassailing is ancient, and yet the practice of Wassailing in the 20th and 21st century is quite a new activity. For our Wassail, we have selected a few of the most important and interesting roles and traditions to highlight. I’ll list them here with explanations, hopefully some of you would be willing to prepare cakes, play roles, and perform aspects of the wassailing ritual!

The Wassail Bowl 

Jester Carrying a Wassail Bowl (ART.com 2024)

One of the most famous and universal traditions in Wassailing is that of the Wassail Bowl. Even before Wassailing became a tradition of caroling in the winter, the Wassail Bowl was present as a large vessel full of cider. The Wassail Bowl is meant to be passed around to each member of the party, who will take gulps of the cider inside. As mentioned before, the traditional passing of the bowl would begin with a “Waes bu Hael!” by the person receiving the bowl and a response of “Drinc Hael!” by others as the person drank. “The ‘Wassail Bowl or cup’ has been described as a ‘High medieval invention’ – mentioned by Matthew Paris in the 13th century, in which cakes and fine bread were communally dipped” (Cater 2013: 18). The Wassail Bowl, like the word and tradition itself, have no set start date, we can assume the Wassail Bowl rose in popularity in the latter half of medieval era. It was traditionally made with wood called “lignum vitae”, known as “the tree of life”. However, in Jesus College at Oxford there is a Wassail Bowl covered in silver that holds 10 gallons of drink (Cater 2013:19). While our Wassail Bowl may not be coated in silver or passed communally for germ-safety reasons, it is still a necessary part of Apple Tree Wassailing. 

Pouring Cider on the Roots

Representation of Old Man Apple – by Alan Lee (Eat Sleep Live Herefordshire 2024).

The functional role of the Wassail Bowl is not just for celebrating with shared cider, but is also key to creating a full circle of life during the Apple Tree Wassail. There are some areas in England that believe that the cider represents the blood of the trees that gave their apples to make the cider. It is for this reason that pouring cider on the roots of the trees is symbolic of the full cycle of life and harvest. There is usually one tree that is chosen in the orchard to have cider poured on its roots. “The King Tree (as at Carhampton), or the Old Apple Man, another name sometimes given to the largest tree, where for many the spirit of the orchard was thought to reside” (110). For our Wassail, there is one large tree at the Kump House that I personally used to make my apple butter earlier this year. While I don’t have any apple butter left to leave at its roots, it would make a fitting Old Man Apple to sing to and to pour cider on its roots. 

Making Noise to Scare the Spirits

Speaking of singing to the trees, you’re probably still wondering why in the world must we do that?! As I mentioned in passing before, the songs and chants of Apple Tree Wassailers are used to chase off the evil spirits in the trees so that they grow a bountiful harvest the next fall. “A major part of almost all tree wassails is that the tree should be woken from its winter slumbers, with noise of horns, shot guns, drums, saucepan lids, musical instruments, anything, in the belief that evil spirits can be chased away and the trees flourish” (Cater 2013: 110). These evil spirits can either be true demons and spirits or simply the bugs that reside in the tree that would cause a bad harvest later in the year, it is up to your personal beliefs. I think shotguns, which are traditionally shot past the tree branches, or horns may be poorly received at the Kump House, so our singing and other noise making methods should suffice in chasing the evil spirits out and waking up their slumbering trees. 

“Taffy Thomas’ recipe for hot spiced cider Wassail drink. A memento of the Christmas party at Essex Singers Club, December 1996 (Cater 2013:80).

The Robin and the Apple Queen Placing Toast on the Tree

Another tradition our choir will be following is the roles of the Robins and the Apple Queens/Wassail Queens. These are usually a young boy and girl who place toast and other goods on the trees for the birds. “Amongst tree wassails it is almost universal that toast is placed into the trees ‘for the Robins’, the guardian spirits. Often this is done by young girls – Wassail Queens, sometimes dressed in white, symbolizing purity. In some places, birds called “blue tits” are seen as guardian spirits and as with the Dunkeswell witches, the old practice of placing young lads as Tom Tit up in the trees waiting for toast to be passed up to them has been revived. ‘Tit, tit, I want something to eat’ they cry at Peterstow, near Ross on Wye, Herefordshire. At Colwall, Tom Tit’s role is more conversational; placing toast in the tree as the Wassail Queens do.” (Cater 2013: 111). The Robins are usually placed into the tree and passed toast, cheese and cider, but sometimes it is simply passed over the tree to the young ones. The toast both appeases the spirit of the Robins and also invites real birds to the tree to feed on the bugs, or evil spirits that we are trying to chase off! 

“Young boys up in the branches represent ‘Tom Tit,’ the guardian spirit of the Apple Trees. ‘Tit, tit, I want something to eat’ they cry at Peterstow (Cater 2013:111).

The Herefordshire Lantern

The finale to the orchard portion of our Wassail will be the Herefordshire Lantern. “Particularly in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, wassails may include a thorn cage stuffed with straw and carried on top of a pole. After toast has been placed in the apple tree and cider sparkled on its roots, this thorn cage, the “Herefordshire Lantern” is ignited: for the wassailers this represents the sun reborn” (Cater 2013: 109). We’ll be lighting some sort of lantern to represent the close of our Wassail and signal our return to Big Timber to cut into the Wassail cakes and spend the rest of the evening dancing and celebrating at Augusta’s winter fundraiser!

The Butler or The Green Man

One of the other important roles in Wassailing today is that of the MC, or the announcer of the evening. This role is not a traditional one, but a new invention that helps newcomers to the Wassailing practice understand the steps and meanings of the tradition. This can be filled by two characters, The Butler, who is representative of the butlers who would open the door to Wassailers coming into wealthy households to request charity from the master and mistress of the house, and The Green Man, a newer invention who usually appears as a man dressed in green leaves and a green painted face. “In the last seventy years, the Green Man has evolved from being a foliate head carved in stone in churches and cathedrals, to being a dance…often dressed in a green tatter coat. Such a figure takes the role of ‘The Butler’ (MC) at the wassail held at Colwall, Worcestershire” (Cater 2013: 150). Our very own Augusta CEO, Seth Young, will be performing the role of The Butler to help guide us and keep up cheer throughout the evening. 

Green Man seen outside of Shakespeare’s Globe in London, 6th January 2013 (Cater 2013:108).

Wassail Cakes – King Bean, Queen Pea, and the Lord of Misrule

The final part of Lift Your Voice Choir and friends’ Apple Tree Wassail will take place back at Big Timber once we finish making noise for the trees. Some incredibly skilled and charitable choir members will be making traditional Wassail Cakes to be shared amongst the crowd! One of these cakes will play an important part in the Wassail tradition. During Wassails, the social status of poorer community members is often turned on its head as they are uplifted and rejoiced. The Wassail Cake helps this happen as one of the cakes is baked with a hidden pea, bean, and whole clove. These are left to be found by people eating the cake and once they are found, those who received them become the honored guests of the evening. If you get the bean, you become King Bean, if you get the pea, you become Queen Pea, and if you get the clove, (Sorry!) you are the Lord of Misrule (aka the fool/troublemaker of the evening). There are traditional chants and songs for the newly crowned Wassailers and they are essentially VIP’s for the rest of the evening. Make sure to join us for both the orchard and Big Timber parts of the Wassail, so you can see all of these uniquely fun traditions in action! I’ve also found a very appropriate chant done by Wassailers and the King and Queen for our Big Timber venue:

Crowd: Where be that app’l tree I know where he be

He be in yon app’l orchud and I be after he

Now I sees he and likes the look, bugger’d if I don’t get en

With my chainsaw I’ll cut ‘en down, App’l tree I’ll have ‘ee

La la la la la la la

La la la la la la la

King Bean and Queen Pea: ‘Ows the timber?!

Everyone: All right!

(Cater 2013: 166).

Breakdown of Lift Your Voice Wassailing Songs

Our choir has been working on two Wassailing songs for the upcoming Wassail and concert in December (Wassail on December 7th and concert on December 14th, please join us!). I wanted to break down the lyrics of one of our songs a bit to reveal their hidden meanings, traditions, and histories. The first song we learned was Apple Tree Wassail: 

Our second song is a bit more obvious in its meaning with toasts to the apple tree’s health and encouragements like “Let every man drink up his glass”. Both of these songs serve to increase the spirit of those participating the Wassail, their lyrics are reminders of traditions past like the lily-white smock coming down to pull back the lock, and to make noise as the evil spirits are being chased away from the apple trees.

Join Our Jolly Wassail on December 7th!

Now that I’ve explained a bit of what Wassailing is and means, I hope you are more excited to carry on this English tradition in Elkins! Even if you are not a member of Lift Your Voice Choir, I hope you join us in scaring away the evil spirits from Kump House’s apple trees so that they bear fruits next fall! The Wassail will be followed by Augusta’s fundraiser where Wassailing cakes will be served and a square dance is being held. Please join our jolly Wassail on December 7th at 6pm, we’ll be meeting at Kump House where we will sing to the apple trees and then return to Big Timber for the remainder of the evening. Make sure to leave a comment below if you have questions about Wassailing or our event! 

Your invitation to our Wassail on December 7th at 6pm at the Kump House (festivities at Big Timber to follow the Wassail)!!

Madeline Ricks is an AmeriCorps member with the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area serving at Augusta. She is using her year of service to continue the mission of digitizing Augusta’s large archive, as well as adding to the collection through new recordings and blog posts about Augusta happenings and stories of West Virginia culture. While she was born in Georgia, raised in both Indiana and Montana, and has traveled around the world, she has a special place in her heart for West Virginia, as her mother’s side of the family still lives outside of Charleston. She received her BA in English Literature and a minor in Italian Studies from Gonzaga University and recently finished a Master of Research in Social Anthropology from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She hopes to leave a lasting, positive impact on the organization and community during her short time at Augusta.

Works Cited

ART.com, 2024. Jester Carrying a Wassail Bowl, (available on-line: art.com/products/p55629728153-sa-i9005810/jester-carrying-a-wassail-bowl.htm, Accessed 22 Nov, 2024).

Cater, C. & Cater, K. 2013. Wassailing: Reawakening an Ancient Folk Custom, Hedingham Fair, Great Britain. 

Eat Sleep Live Herefordshire, 2024. The Apple Tree Man, (available on-line: eatsleepliveherefordshire.co.uk/the-apple-tree-man/, Accessed 22 Nov, 2024).