We had our Wassail this evening.  Here is the Schedule of Events:

Eat!

Cider glazed ham,

sausages on Farberware rotisserie,

cheese fondue,

potluck items

Drink!

Traditional warm Wassail in the crockpot,

many different types of hard ciders from USA, Canada, England, France, Spain and Germany,

Wassail comes from the Old English words (originally Norse) waes hael, which means “be well,” “be hale,” or “good health.” The host (in this case Tom) greets his companions with “waes hael,” to which they (we) would reply “drinc hael,” which meant “drink and be well.”

Be Merry!

Make toast and Dan leads us in practice of the Wassail song

Toasting the orchard!

Loud procession to each tree using musical instruments,

Wassail prince/princess places cider-dipped toast in tree, Wassail king (Tom) pours cider onto its roots

then loud procession on to next tree

Wassailing the oldest tree!

Circle the tree King (Tom): “Apple tree, apple tree, we all come to wassail thee, Bear this year and next year to bloom and to blow, Hat fulls, cap fulls, three cornered sack fills,” Sing the Wassail Song then hip-hip-hooray three times with volleys shot through its branches.

Whimple Wassail Song lyrics:

A-wassail, a-wassail! The Moon,  she shines down; The apples are ripe and the nuts they are brown. Whence thou mayest bud, dear old apple tree, And whence thou mayest bear, we sing unto thee.

With our wassail, wassail, wassail! And joy come to our jolly wassail!

Apple tree prosper, bud, bloom and bear, That we may have plenty of cider next year. And where there’s a barrel, we hope there are ten, That we may have cider when we come again.

With our wassail, wassail, wassail! And joy come to our jolly wassail!

Come fill up our wassail bowl full to the brim, See, harnessed and garnished so neat and so trim, Sometimes with laurel and some times with bays, According to custom, to keep the old ways.

With our wassail, wassail, wassail! And joy come to our jolly wassail!

Now for this gold liquor, to us,that you bring, We lift up our voices and merrily sing, That all good householders, long may they remain, And long to continue the same to maintain.

With our wassail, wassail, wassail! And joy come to our jolly wassail!