Chartist Northern Star newspaper 30th December 1843
The January tradition of Wassailing, perpetually reinvented.
The tradition of wassailing is part of the New Year run up to having cakes and ale on Twelfth Night or Epiphany the following day.
It is a tradition that has been perpetually reinvented or recovered from the ancient. The Chartist Northern Star on 30th December 1843 saw it as an tradition based in antiquity but also one which was still current. The same can be said for 2024
Traditions are quite flexible so you can do this at any time up to Shrove Tuesday
This time of year is that of few hours of daylight and scarcity of fresh produce so things like cake and ale were and are welcome.
In fact what was in the Wassail bowl could vary but spiced ale or spiced cider were common
The traditional Wassail was to go house to house with the following cry:
we are not daily beggars that beg from door to door
But we are friendly neighbours whom you have seen before
Of course once the Wassail bowl had been offered a small gift or donation was expected in return
Leave a Reply