Wassailing, by Simon Reed

Wassailing The British Midwinter Blessing Custom

Wassailing The British Midwinter Blessing Custom Simon Reed 2013

Wassailing © 2013 by Simon Reed. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First North American Edition, 2020 First Printing, 2020 ISBN 978-0-7387-6589-1 Originally published by Troy Books Inc. 2013 ISBN 978-1-909602-03-8 Llewellyn Publications is a registered trademark of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. Cataloging-in-Publication Programme data is on file with the British National Bibliography.

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Acknowledgements With grateful thanks to; Jane Cox, Gemma Gary, Elaine Gill, John Caple, and Tara Whelan of the John Martin Gallery.

Cover image: Apple Tree Man by John Caple with kind permission of John Caple and the John Martin Gallery.

Contents Introduction

9

Origins and Development of the Wassail

12

Wassail in Legend and Beyond

20

The Wassail Develops

35

The Visit Wassail

43

Crop Wassailing

75

Ashen Faggot Wassail

95

The Wassail Bowl

99

Wassail Dolls

102

The Wassail Today

109

Our Journey Through Wassailing

112

Appendix A – Specimens of Wassail Songs

115

Appendix B – Locations of known Wassail Traditions

128

A INTRODUCTION B

I

decided to write this book in the midst of researching some local customs specific to my own part of the world, Cornwall, in 2012. I initially planned to research the Lord of Misrule traditions found in many seasonal celebrations, particularly around Christmas. When I started to ‘dip my toe’ into the world of Misrule I found in the midst of the Guising traditions that I was expecting (and for that matter I was familiar with to a certain degree) a wealth of references to Wassailing. Many people think they know what Wassailing is and will tell you, with apparent authority, that it is a tradition where people bless apple trees. They are unfortunately only partly right and in fact the Wassail tradition has many varieties not confined to this colourful practice alone.

When starting my research I was struck by the sheer number of these traditions; almost every village in the areas I studied had a celebration that differed to the next village – curious indeed. In fact Wassailing in its various guises seems to have been present in many more places than I would have originally presumed.

In some places another popular perception persists that Wassailing was and is a kind of primitive carol singing; this is again only partly right and depends greatly on your definition of ‘carol’.

During the process of my enquiries for this book I have been struck by the fact that in many cases Wassailing seems 9

Wassailing - The British Midwinter Blessing Custom far more than all of these preconceived notions; complex ritual meanings are woven into the symbolism of the bowl, its contents and songs, all of which have strong regional variations which serve as important symbols of community pride.

All this sparked my curiosity and soon I was thrown off my originally-intended course of research and deflected into the world of the British Wassail in all its forms. When I say British Wassail, I mean of course the customs that exist or have existed on the island of Britain, with no disrespect to other nations where the term is used and has developed into something different. British not English because the Wassail does not respect the boundaries of nations and despite the word ‘Wassail’ having Norse or Anglo-Saxon roots it is, and has been in the past, alive and well in areas that we consider culturally Celtic and of course with the influences that brings with it: the geography and the metre and lilt of the languages spoken. This is particularly evident in Cornwall and South Wales where the indigenous cultures absorbed the Visit Wassail into the cycle of life with a great deal of enthusiasm.

This book is not intended to be a definitive study or a mass collection of the history of Wassail songs; there are works available that can provide for those seeking such material. I do quote at length passages from historical sources, purely to give the reader a full impression of the symbolism of the particular description, song or chant. It is important when considering symbolism to see it in context; quoting small pieces of text to support pet views is unscrupulous nonsense often abused by people with closed minds.

So why bother studying this custom? I am a firm believer that traditions should not be set in stone and played out like a re-run of the past. Tradition for tradition’s sake is pointless. Celebrating our past customs, especially those 10

Introduction with regional variations, makes us value our history, enhances our understanding of the urban and rural environments we live in and through these virtues makes our communities stronger. Most of all it should be fun! A stiff-lipped attitude to tradition defies its original purpose: to entertain.

This book does contain historical records and it does make reference to the past. However, it does so to try and unlock the hidden meaning in these excellent customs and hopefully inspire someone, somewhere, to look again at the past traditions of their own communities and find inspiration to do them again, unlocking the benefits as described above. This book will, I hope, also provide a deeper understanding of how important these kind of rituals are in forming bonds with our environment. It is a journey of sorts through history and the regions of Britain; it is my hope that after this journey you will appreciate and enjoy the various traditions of the Wassail as much as I do.

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A CHAPTER ONE B ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE WASSAIL

W

assailing is one of the most interesting customs to be found across the British Isles. In its various forms it contains undertones of ‘folk magic’, bringing best wishes and blessings to your family, your community and even plants and animals.

When looking for a dictionary definition of ‘Wassail’ we are actually met with a lack of useful information. There is no single definition for what exactly Wassailing is in all its forms. True, the Wassail can be a riotous drinking session, a drink or a song, but it is much more than that. Considering all its various factors my definition of Wassailing would be: “Wassailing: a set of customs intended to bring good health or good luck, which is represented by the Wassail drink”.

12

Origins and Development of the Wassail So what exactly does the word ‘Wassail’ mean? Some scholars, and a great deal of evidence, point to the theory that it started as the Anglo-Saxon phrase “Waes Hael” – a toast used to wish good health. “Waes Hael” had a traditional reply: “Drinc Hael”. This phrase is essentially the Anglo-Saxon equivalent of our modern toast “Cheers”.

The original phrase suggests a great deal of bawdy drinking in ancient Saxon halls.

Some other scholars believe its origins can be found in the Norse language and in particular in the phrase “Ves Heill” or “Be Healthy”. According to these same sources this phrase was adopted by the general population after Norse settlers introduced it to the actually very diverse population of what eventually became England.

Considering English history this is also entirely plausible taking into account the great battles for control of ‘England’ in the early Middle Ages and late Dark Ages between Danish forces and the Anglo-Saxons. Large parts of the North of England, for example, were deeply influenced by Danish culture. Some scholars believe that the regional accents of the North East owe, at least in part, their particular inflections to Norse. The South West, excluding Cornwall, likewise was influenced by the Saxon strand of Anglo-Saxon culture, with all its particular differences.

Whatever its origins, the phrase was absorbed into Old English and became, by medieval times, a description of the practice of symbolic drinking, the drink itself and the set of songs and chants associated with the custom.

Wassailing occurred and still occurs primarily during the Twelve Days of Christmas, but can also be found on Old Christmas Day (the 6th of January), Old Twelfth Night (the 17th of January) or at any time running up to or after the Christmas season. ‘Old’, in this case, means the traditional date under the Julian calendar. Until 1582 the Julian calendar 13

Wassailing - The British Midwinter Blessing Custom was the calendar of choice in most Christian countries; however it was flawed, being inaccurate by about ten days.

This meant that dates drifted away from the seasons, and if this system had been left unchecked it would have eventually led to striking anomalies.

To compensate for this the Catholic church brought in a new system of reckoning, the Gregorian calendar, named after its patron, Pope Gregory XIII. This calendar was different in that it acknowledged the need to remove three leap years from the Julian calendar. The United States Tidal Observatory explains the new formula thus: “Every year that is exactly divisible by four is a leap year, except for years that are exactly divisible by 100; the centurial years that are exactly divisible by 400 are still leap years. For example, the year 1900 is not a leap year; the year 2000 is a leap year”.

The new system was officially brought into practice in Catholic countries in 1582; however this was not universally adopted and the ‘missing days’, i.e. the ten removed days that adjusted the mistakes found in the Julian calendar, created differences in the various countries. The nations of Britain were surprisingly slow to take up this new system and it is as late as 1752 we find the official adoption of the Gregorian system, only when it had become the standard throughout the Western world. In some parts of the countryside this was stubbornly ignored, some no doubt believing that the real dates with their sacred significance were being cast under the wheels of unnecessary progress.

In some places the association of the new calendar with Catholicism would have done it no favours. Anti-Catholic sentiment was rampant in some parts of Britain, a prejudice that is still hidden under the surface of some of our cultural events, for example Guy Fawkes Night. Some other accounts 14

Origins and Development of the Wassail give Wassailing in all its varieties different dates, for example Epiphany (the 6th of January) or even St Thomas’s Day (the 21st of December), so named after ‘Doubting’ Thomas who was the last of the disciples of Christ to accept His Resurrection and therefore was in darkness longest, very much like the state of the year on the 21st of December, the astronomical solstice. This latter date was particularly popular in Worcestershire where it was a common time to perform the Wassail. ‘Notes and Queries’ writes: “At Harrington in Worcestershire it was customary for children on St Thomas’s Day (21st December) to go round the village begging for apples, and singing”.

In the more formal setting of the banquet in the high places of the British institution we can also see Wassail cups at every time of year, often marking special occasions outside of the normal cycle of the year. There are also many Luck-Visiting traditions during the summer months that some folklorists link to Wassailing. Anyone who has seen the Night Song on the eve of May Day in Padstow, Cornwall, will recognise the definite similarity. There are also rare Summer Wassail songs that celebrate the warmer season.

At this point it is worth speculating on the nature of Christmas itself and the importance of the feast to the Wassailing tradition. Many people believe that the pagan midwinter celebrations, prior to the rise of the Roman Catholic church, played a significant part in the creation of the early Christmas. The date of Christmas actually fluctuated, but was fixed by the early church in the fourth century. Christmas, by the Middle Ages, had become one of the primary feasts of the Christian calendar, celebrated not only in the liturgy but in the community at large. You will 15

Wassailing - The British Midwinter Blessing Custom notice that our modern Christmas is focussed on the home and in particular the children of the family; sharing with others outside this basic unit is certainly less prevalent than it was. The Wassail is naturally bound to prosper, not in the context of our contemporary Christmas, but in that of the Christmas shared with greater numbers.

The Wassail can be classified in three broad forms: firstly the Banquet Wassail where people would meet in great halls and the like and wish each other good cheer; secondly the Visit Wassail where Wassailers would go from house to house or tavern to tavern begging for rewards and in return granting good luck to the home-owner or landlord; and finally the Crop Wassail which primarily was focussed on bringing a good apple harvest to orchards but can also be found associated with other fruit and also beehives (not to mention the far rarer occurrence of Wassailing the cattle and other livestock).

At this stage I think it is worth considering what the Wassail is not. There are of course a myriad of similar customs in the British Isles, some of which I will discuss during this book: however they are not Wassailing. For example, the Guise traditions almost everywhere, where masked or blacked-up revellers beguile, confuse and entertain the public. Particularly evident in Cornwall and Scotland (but by no means restricted to these places) these revellers go from premises to premises bringing good fortune and health to the occupants. They are often accompanied by a ‘beast’ that can take many forms but is essentially a representation of an animal: a ram, a horse or even a bull. Examples of these symbolic animal forms can be seen in the Hoodening traditions of Kent, the Old Tup of Derbyshire and the various forms of the Owd ‘Oss that exist across England. Again of course, there is Carolling, which despite its adoption by the church over time, was 16

Origins and Development of the Wassail a ‘country’ custom where folk songs would be sung for reward: money, alcohol, cake and treats of all kinds.

While Carolling is very similar to the Visit Wassail and its songs, it misses the crucial symbolism of the Wassail cup. There is also the Mummers’ Play where actors would play out some story of bravery, often with the themes of rejuvenation and resurrection. Famous plays include ‘St George and the Turkish Knight’ and ‘St George and the Dragon’; again players would receive small gifts of food and drink for their performances. Customs such as these all were seen as bringing good fortune in one form or another.

All of these customs differ from the actual Wassail for one reason alone and that is the life-giving properties of the drink itself (or whatever stood in as the drinks substitute). The door-to-door Visit Wassailer brings good health in his bowl, the Apple Wassailer dowses the apple tree with ‘life-giving’ cider (the ‘blood’ of the apple tree itself) and the Wassail blessing in the banquet hall once again gives good health to those supping from its bowl. It is this factor that joins and defines the various traditions and it is this symbolism that I am particularly interested in. In fact the universal symbolism of drink as a sustaining nutrient, both for humans and future crops, is something that deserves a larger study.

So where does this apparent life-giving power come from? Is this very ancient indeed, going back into a heathen past; some vestige of Indo-European belief ? Firstly, it is very tempting to see the Wassail as some imitation of the Catholic Mass. In both, the ‘life-giving blood’ is presented in a chalice, giving in one case everlasting life and in another good health. The Middle Ages is the time when we see the basic forms of Wassailing emerge and also the era when the Eucharist is at its most complex.

17

Wassailing - The British Midwinter Blessing Custom The Catholic doctrine of Transubstantiation emerged in the eleventh century; in simple terms, theologians believed that the bread and wine given to the faithful during Holy Communion actually became the body and blood of Christ and that believers received the blessing of God by literally consuming Him. But of course these ideas are found in many cultures throughout the entire history of mankind in all its different forms. For example: in Celtic mythology the cauldron or chalice has the power to restore life; the cult of Mithras had a mass not unlike the Catholic Eucharist. In fact, the life-giving power of the cup and its contents can be found in a myriad of customs, based no doubt from the very simple fact that we all need to drink to live.

At this stage however I would urge caution in ascribing the Wassail as completely ‘pagan’, in the modern sense.

Basically, culture is far more complex than the nineteenthcentury antiquarians would have us believe. Human cultural evolution is a process that overlaps many world views and many ideas, drags in the ancient heathen past, overlays it with Catholic imagery of the high Middle Ages and tops it off with ideals of more modern times. There is also a massive difference between what antiquarians originally described as pagan and our understanding of the term. To past thinkers, pagan often referred the Roman high religion, dominated by classical deities and rich with legends and epics. This is despite the fact that the word itself started as the Latin term for a ‘rustic country dweller’. To them, Wassailing was a relic of the cult of Pomona the goddess of fruit, and not a heathen country rite that brought human fertility, productivity to the land and was a symbol of life itself. I do believe, however, that there is in this case clear evidence that the germ of the Wassail can be found in the pre-Christian era. I far prefer to use the word ‘heathen’ however to describe this pre-Christian influence as it neatly, 18

Origins and Development of the Wassail to me at least, distinguishes between the antiquarian Roman inaccuracy and those who influenced the origins of this custom.

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