Overview
- Wassail is a hot, spiced alcoholic punch traditionally shared at Christmas and on Twelfth Night.
- The word comes from the Middle English greeting wæs hæil, and the custom historically split into orchard rites and door-to-door singing.
- Orchard wassailing sought to bless trees through noise-making, cider poured at the roots, and ceremonial songs, according to researcher Edward Wigley.
- Recipes vary widely—ale, wine, or cider bases with occasional cream or eggs—with MPR offering a Lambs’ Wool–style version using roasted apples, hard cider, winter spices, and lemon.
- Scholars and reporters describe a revival since the early 2000s, with gatherings in English towns and in urban and suburban U.S. communities, aided by enduring carols such as “Gloucestershire Wassail.”