The Pagan Origins of Wassailing

Have you ever heard the song Here We Come A Wassailing? This is one of my favorite songs to listen to this time of year, and when I looked into it I was pleasantly surprised to see that there is more to this song than meets the eye. So what is Wassailing and could there be some Pagan history behind this holiday tune?

The word Wassail may come from the old Norse phrase “ves heill” which means “be healthy,” though it’s more commonly believed that it derives from an Anglo-Saxon greeting that means to be in good health. Traditionally after someone would say Wassail, the common response is “Drinc hæl” which means “drink and be healthy.”

Wassail first appears in English literature in the Pagan poem Beowulf in the lines:
The rider sleepeth,
the hero, far-hidden; no harp resounds,
in the courts no wassail, as once was heard.

The word Wassail also makes an appearance as a toast that occurred right before the Saxon battle of Hastings began in 1066 CE. An Anglo-Norman poet wrote that in the last feast before the battle he heard a cry of:
Rejoice and wassail
Pass the bottle and drink healthy
Drink backwards and drink to me
Drink half and drink empty.

But it goes deeper than this because Wassiling is not just a phrase, greeting, or a toast - it’s lots of different things. While the word Wassail can refer to the act of toasting, it can also represent the beverage that was drunk during the toast. Today, Wassail is a popular holiday beverage and there are many different recipes for this drink. One of the oldest versions of Wassail is called Renwein, which is a spiced wine that resembled the ancient Roman drink called hypocras. The drink survived into the middle ages and became a popular wassailing drink among the wealthy.

Another version of the Wassail drink, called “Lambs Wool” is mentioned by none other than Shakespere himself during his play A Midsummer Night's Dream. This version of Wassil involved a dark beer that was whipped to create a frothy texture and then crab apples were floated in the drink. Shakespeare describes this version of Wassail in the lines:
Sometimes lurk I in the gossip's bowl
In very likeness of a roasted crab
And when she drinks, against her lips I bob,
And down her withered dewlap pours the ale.

Traditionally Wassail was drunk in a bowl not a glass, and often people would dip their bread in the bowl or float toasted bread on top of the drink - this is where the word “toast” as a drinking term comes from. Beyond just being a drink and phrase, wassail is also a verb and “to go wassailing” is a tradition that likely has some fascinating Pagan origins, especially in the western region of England. The production of hard-cider was traditionally and still is today essential to that area. In this region Wassailing is not just about toasting the health of their fellow man, it’s also important to toast the health of the cider apple trees.

Each year people in this region go out into the orchards, drink in hand, to sing to the spirits of the apple trees and this tradition is called Wassailing. The purpose of the singing is to wake the trees and scare away any evil spirits. The singers will also sometimes place cider-soaked bread in the branches of the trees to ward off evil spirits. There is also an English folklore spirit called the Apple Tree Man who is honored during the Wassailing. The Apple Tree Man is the name for the oldest tree in the orchard and it is believed that the fertility of the orchard as a whole derives from this tree spirit. Extra attention is given to the eldest tree in the orchard and people may honor the spirit by pouring cider into the roots. As with all modern folklore traditions we may never know their true origins, but I think it’s pretty clear that this practice of wassailing the orchards taps into ancient Pagan practices and beliefs.

Wassailing as a practice does not just occur in the orchard, some people take their singing door to door. This was kind of like a trick-or-treat version of caroling, where people would sing but usually expect some kind of payment. This practice fits in with the idea that the holidays were a time where social expectations would be lifted. During the holidays the poor expected privileges which were usually denied to them. This included the right to enter the homes of the wealthy and drink their booze in return for singing a wassailing song or two. These activities were known as “misrule” and often were presided over by a “lord of misrule” who coordinated all kinds of inappropriate revelry. These “misrule” traditions go all the way back to Saturnalia activities from Ancient Rome and were translated into the twelfth night celebrations still practiced today.

Over time many of these Pagan influences of Wassailing were forgotten. Authors like Washington Irving and Charles Dickens helped create a more idealized version of Wassailing as just a warm and peaceful Christmas & New Years tradition. Though I hope after reading this you’ve come to see that Wassailing is not just a Christian tradition.

So why is Wassailing important? On the one hand toasting with the word Wassail is a way to connect with the past and bring it to life. It’s a way to celebrate community, culture, and your connection to nature. And for us Pagans it has even more importance because it helps us tap into ancient traditions and beliefs. When you say “Wassail” you’re honoring pagan-inspired literary works such as Beowulf. You’re celebrating the apple harvest and the ancient spirits that live in the orchards. And you’re honoring a tradition of topsy turvy misrule that goes all the way back to the Roman solstice celebration known as Saturnalia. So get yourself a drink, grab a couple friends and head to the nearest apple tree to give thanks and celebrate this time of year. Wassail!