The ‘Wassail Song’ - its 1,000‑year journey from a Toast to a Carol!
- larees24
- Dec 21, 2025
- 2 min read
🎄 Welcome, to ‘Christmas around the Piano’…a nostalgic musical journey!🎄
Day 21 - December 21, 2025:
“Wassail Song” and “Here We Come A‑Carolling” is a traditional English carol, that represents one of England’s oldest winter traditions, ‘wassailing’.
It is sung while going door‑to‑door offering good wishes, blessings, and requesting small gifts or food — a practice tied to both caroling and wassailing.
The song dates from at least the mid‑19th century, though it is likely older. Its “a‑” prefix (as in a‑wassailing) is an archaic intensifier also seen in “A‑Hunting We Will Go” and “Six geese a‑laying”.
This song is known by many names: Here We Come A‑Wassailing, Here We Come A‑Caroling, Here We Come A‑Christmasing, Wassail Song.
The word ‘wassail’ comes from the Old English phrase ‘was hál’ meaning ‘be in good health’. It began as a greeting and toast, with the traditional reply ‘drinc hael’ — ‘drink, and good health’.
Over centuries, this toast evolved into a beloved Christmas custom, blending a ritual of communal drinking, music, blessing orchards, and visiting homes, during midwinter. By the medieval and Tudor periods, wassailing was a major part of English Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Originally, wassailing and caroling were separate traditions: Wassailers visited homes with a bowl of spiced ale, offering blessings in exchange for gifts. Carolers sang religious songs outdoors.
By the Victorian era, these traditions blended — and this song became one of the clearest surviving examples of that fusion.
Quick Facts!
✨The song references “wassail” as both a drink and a blessing, which confuses modern listeners but made perfect sense historically.
✨Wassail bowls traditionally held spiced ale, cider, or wine with floating apples, lemons, or oranges — a symbol of prosperity.
✨The song has regional cousins like “Gower Wassail” and “Gloucestershire Wassail”.
✨“Here We Come A‑Wassailing” is sometimes mistakenly thought to be the origin of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” but they are separate songs.
✨The tradition of wassailing orchards — singing to apple trees to ensure a good harvest — still survives in parts of England today.
I do hope you have enjoyed reading about this carol, as much as I have enjoyed presenting this to you.
Thank you for joining me on this festive journey! Wishing you and your loved ones, a season filled with light, laughter, love, and of course, MUSIC! 🌟🎄
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Christmas cheer and good tidings to you!
Larissa
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