h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Don't forget that Christmas Carols have usurped a much older tradition (in the way that most Christian events have done) - Wassailing.

If I remember rightly, Wassail is the Old English world for 'Good Health', from the Norse 'Ves Heill', and stems from the Druidic celebration of Yule-tide. Trees, and especially apple trees were considered sacred by Druids, and the purpose of wassailing was to wish health to one's apple trees. Songs would be sung, and cider or ale was poured from a wassail bowl over the tree's roots, often with some bread soaked in the cider placed in the branches. Songs would be sung to scare off evil spirits.

Eventually this became a custom where Saxon and Nordic Britons would go from house to house singing for a bowl of hot wassail, and possibly a few groats! They'd bring their own wassail bowl with them.
Wassail was a drink made from ale or cider with added sugar, spices and apples. Bread would also be floated in the drink to offer to the tree.

For the non-Christians among us, Wassailing gives us a good excuse to get involved with all the song-and-dance around this time of year.

Here is a traditional wassail song:

1. Now Christmas is comen
And New Year begin
Pray open your doors
And let us come in.

Chorus:
With our wassail, wassail,
Wassail, wassail,
And joy come with our jolly wassail.

2. O Master and Mistress
Sitting down by the fire
While we poor wassail boys
Are traveling the mire.

Chorus

3. This ancient house
We will kindly salute
It is an old custom
You need not dispute.

Chorus

4. We are here in this place,
Orderly we stand
We're the jolly wassail boys
With a bowl in our hands.

Chorus

5. We hope that your apple trees
Will prosper and bear
And bring forth good cider
When we come next year.

Chorus

6. We hope that your barley
Will prosper and grow
That you may have plenty
And some to bestow.

Chorus

7. Good Mistress and Master
How can you forbear
Come fill up out bowl
With cider or beer.

Chorus

8. Good Mistress and Master
Sitting down at your ease
Put your hands in your pockets
And give what you please.

Chorus

9. I wish you a blessing
And a long time to live
Since you've been so free
And willing to give.
Chorus:


And here is the more well known one :


1. Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a wand'ring,
So fair to be seen.

Chorus:
Love and joy come to you,
And to your wassail too,
And God bless you and send you a happy new year,
And God send you a happy new year.

2. We are not daily beggars
Who beg from door to door,
But we are neighbor's children
Whom you have seen before.

Chorus

3. We have a little purse
Made of ratching leather skin;
We want some of your small change
To line it well within.

Chorus

4. God bless the Master of this house,
Likewise the Mistress too;
And all the little children
That round the table go.

Oh, and there is more on it here:

http://www.noelnoelnoel.com/trad/wassail.html

And here are a few more Wassailing songs:

Wassail, wassail, all over the town!
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown,
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;
With the wassailing bowl, we’ll drink to thee.

So here is to Broad May and to her broad horn,
The gods send our master a good crop of corn,
And a good crop of corn that we may all see;
With the wassailing bowl, we’ll drink to thee.

And here is to Fillpail and to her left ear,
The Gods send our mistress a happy New Year,
And a happy New Year e’er he did see;
With our wassailing bowl, we’ll drink to thee.

And here is to Colly and to her long tail,
The Gods send our comp’ny and all we may hail,
A bowl of strong beer! I pray you draw near,
And our jolly wassail it’s then you shall hear.

Then here’s to the maid in her lily white smock,
Who tripped to the door and slipped back the lock!
Who tripped to the door and pulled back the pin,
For to let these jolly wassailers in!



Here we come a wassailing among the leaves so green
Here we come a wandering a furley to be seen
Now is wintertime, strangers travel far and near
And we wish you, send you a happy new year.

Bud & Blossom, Bud & Blossom, Bud & Bloomin’ fair
So we may have plenty of cider all next year
Hatfulls and in capfulls and in bushel bags and all
And the cider running out of every gutter hole.

Down there in the muddy lane there sits an old red fox
A starvin’ and a shiverin’ and lickin’ his old chops
Bring us out your table and spread it if you please
And bring us hungry wassailers a bit of bread and cheese.

I’ve got a little purse and it’s made of leather skin
A little six pence would line it well within
Now is winter time strangers travel far and near
And we wish you, send you a happy new year.



Now the harvest be’in over and Solstice bein’ in,
please open the door and let us come in...

CHORUS:
...with our wassail.
Wassail. Wassail.
And joy come to our jolly wassail.

There’s a master and a mistress sittin’ down by the fire’
While we pour wassail folk do trudge through the mire...

CHORUS

There’s a master and a mistree sittin’ down at their ease,
Put your hands in your pockets and give what you please

CHORUS

This ancient old house we will kindly salute,
It is our custom you need not dispute...

CHORUS

There’s a saddle & a bridle here upon the shelf,
If you want anymore you can sing it yourself...

CHORUS

Here’s a health to the mistress and a long time to live,
Since you’ve been so kind and so willin’ to give...
Chorus

And last but not least, an excellent link with info:

http://www.eastbournepagancircle.co.uk/articles/wassail.html