Dec 3 Here We Come A-Wassailing

Dec 3 Here We Come A-Wassailing
http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/wassailing.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_We_Come_A-Wassailing
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/cat/212/ Wassail Recipes
http://www.recipezaar.com/ Search for Wassail

As with most carols, there are several related versions of the words. One version is presented below. The verses are sung in 6/8 time, while the chorus switches to 2/2.

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

CHORUSLove and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too;
And God bless you and send you
A Happy New Year
And God send you a Happy New Year.

Our wassail cup is made
Of the rosemary tree,
And so is our beer
Of the best barley:
CHORUS

We are not daily beggars
That beg from door to door;
But we are neighbors’' children,
Whom you have seen before.
CHORUS

Good master and good mistress,
While you're sitting by the fire,
Pray think of us poor children
Who wander in the mire.
CHORUS

God bless the master of this house
Likewise the mistress too!
And all the little children
That 'round the table go.
CHORUS

Wassailing is a very ancient custom that is rarely done today. Imagine a British cobblestone street; snow soft in the streetlight's glow. Despite constant hardship, beggars and orphans would dance and sing in the streets at Christmas, hoping to receive a pork pie, a penny, or some time in front of a blazing fire in return. However, the most prized pittance was a bowl of wassail -- which combines ale, wine, and spices -- to warm the heart as well as the soul.

The word 'wassail' comes from the Anglo-Saxon phrase 'waes hael', which means 'good health'. Originally, the wassail was a drink made of mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and sugar. It was served from huge bowls, often made of silver or pewter. Jesus College, in Oxford University, has a Wassail bowl that could hold 10 gallons of drink and is covered in silver! Wassailing was traditionally done on New Years Eve and Twelfth Night, but some rich people drank Wassail on all the 12 days of Christmas! The Wassail drink mixture was sometimes called 'Lamb's Wool', because of the pulp of the roasted apples looked all frothy and a bit like Lambs Wool!!! A great deal of ceremony developed around the custom of drinking wassail. The bowl was carried into a room with a great fanfare, a traditional carol about the drink was sung, and finally, the steaming hot beverage was served.

Craft: apple craft, drink mulled cider
http://www.origami-club.com/en/ Fruits/Vegetables>Apple
Decorative apple, wrap with gold cord & hang on tree