feature Wassail – ‘be healthy’ The long dark days around the winter solstice have long been a time for festivity and light, predating the advent of Christianity of Anglo-Saxon England. The early Saxons celebrated the beginning of the year and the coming of spring on the winter solstice, known as Modranect or Mothers’ Night, which at the time was the 25th December. ‘Giuli’ (pronounced ‘Yule’) was the name given to the period we know today as the 12 days of Christmas (hence ‘Yuletide’) – 25th December to 5th January. Ceremonies and celebrations were held during these months and were linked to the rebirth of ‘Mother Earth’ to ensure fertility in the coming spring season. “They began the year with December 25, the day we now celebrate as Christmas; and the very night to which we attach special sanctity they designated by the heathen mothers’ night – a name bestowed, I suspect, on account of the ceremonies they performed while watching this night through.” The Venerable Bede, 8th century scholar One popular Saxon tradition was the custom of wassailing – a ceremony of blessing the ground around the home, farm or orchard. Everyone attending would drink from a large bowl, followed by a toast or a wassail to their health. Although it began as a celebration held throughout the Yuletide, it later became a tradition held on more specific days such as New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day or the Twelfth Night – 5th January. The word wassail comes from the Anglo-Saxon “was hæl” meaning be healthy or be whole – both of which have survived in the modern English phrase to be, ‘hale and hearty’. The correct response was “Drinc hael”, drink and be healthy. Wassailing remained part of the winter celebrations and by the 17th century it had become an institution. It was even mentioned in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet performed in 1602: “The King doth wake to-night and takes his rouse, Keeps wassail, and the swaggering up-spring reels; And, as he drains his draughts of Rhenish down, The kettle-drum and trumpet thus bray out The triumph of his pledge.” Young women went about their village with a bowl of spiced ale adorned with garlands and ribbons. The drink, often described as Lambswool, was made from spiced ale or cider and baked apples. The women went from door to door singing a few ‘homely’ verses composed for the purpose to toast the health of the inhabitants in expectation of a small gratuity in return. “… It was likewise the custom at all their feasts, for the master of the house to fill a large bowl or pitcher, and to drink out of it first himself, and then give it to him that sat next, and so it went round. One custom more should be remembered, and that is, that it was usual some years ago, in Christmas time, for the poor people to go from door to door with a wassail cup, adorned with ribbands, and a golden apple at the top, singing and begging money for it, the original of which, was, that they might procure ‘lambswool’ to fill it, and regale themselves as well as the rich.” ‘Gentleman’s Magazine’, May 1784
‘The Wassail Bowl’ by John Gilbert 1860
The tradition still survives today, although now mostly celebrated in the cider and perry producing areas of the West Country. There is no definitive traditional recipe for the wassail. Ingredients were often dictated by resources available in the area – cider, mulled ale and even mead were used. The following Lambswool recipe is said to be from 1633. In earlier recipes, honey would have been used instead of sugar. Ingredients: 1.5 litres of traditional real ale – or cider 6 small cooking apples, cored 1 nutmeg, freshly grated 1 tsp ground ginger 150g brown sugar Method: Preheat the oven 120°C Core the apples, removing all pips. Place the apples on a lightly greased baking tray about 6 cm (2 inches) apart. Bake the apples at 120°C for about an hour, so they become soft and pulpy and the skins are easy to peel away. In a large saucepan add the sugar, cover with a small amount of the ale (or cider) and heat gently. Stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved. Add the ground ginger and grated nutmeg, mix well. Keeping the pan on a gentle simmer, slowly add the rest of the ale (or cider). Leave for 10 minutes on a gentle heat. Take the baked apples and scoop out the flesh into a bowl, discarding the skin. Thoroughly mash the apples into a smooth purée avoiding lumps. Add the mix to the ale (or cider), mixing it in with a whisk. Continue to warm everything through for 30 minutes, on a very gentle heat. Using the whisk or stick blender to briskly and vigorously mix everything together and froth the drink up. The apple and light froth will float to the surface, and depending on how much it is whisked, the more it will look like lamb’s wool. (Traditionally, drinks were frothed by pouring continuously between two large serving jugs to increase air into the liquid.) Ladle the hot lambswool into heat-proof mugs or glasses and grate over some nutmeg or pour the drink into a communal bowl (with several thick pieces of toast in the bottom) to pass around if wassailing – Enjoy. Peter Simmonett melbournmagazine
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