What is Wassail?
Wassail is a delicious mulled cider-like drink, and wassailing is also an activity. It all began in pre-Christian times, and was a tradition around Yule to pour mulled cider on crops and trees while singing, hooting and hollering. This not only scared away evil spirits, but it also ensured fertility and good crops for the following year. Apparently this pagan ritual continued into the Middle Ages, and as the tradition moved into the Victorian era, it morphed into singing at people’s doors who would bestow the singers with gifts or bowls of wassail (which has now evolved into our modern-day caroling). I’m really no wassail expert here, but there are a couple interesting resources you can have a look at here and here.
Yule
In Pagan traditions Yule is celebrated at the Winter Solstice- the longest night of the year. Although it is the darkest night of the year, it is also celebrated as the return of the light, as each subsequent day the Sun spends a little more time in the sky. Now I’m not exactly sure whether people partook in wassailing on the Solstice, or just around that time of year. So really, don’t limit yourself to making this delicious brew strictly on the Solstice (although, it would give your intentions an extra dash of magic if you happen to make it on this night!)
Your Wassail Intentions
Before you start making your wassail, you need to establish intentions and blessings you’d like to bequeath within your brew. The herbs, spices and fruits we’re using in this recipe all support a celebratory energy and a movement towards good fortune, abundance, health and wealth. So if you’re the only one drinking it, be really specific in your intentions for yourself. If others will be sharing this drink with you, allow your intentions to be more broad, so anyone drinking it will be endowed with your blessings.
Making Your Magical Wassail
Cleanse the Kitchen
Begin by cleansing your space by burning herbs, resins, diffusing essential oils, lighting beeswax candles, playing a singing bowl or chimes. This not only makes your kitchen feel extra magical, but it denotes that sacred work is about to take place.
Ingredients
To 6-8 cups of Apple Cider add:
1-2 clove-studded Oranges (see “steps” below)
1-2 sliced Oranges (for joy, fertility and welcoming back the Sun)
1-2 horizontally sliced Apples (for sacred energy)
a handful of Cloves (for prosperity)
3 cinnamon sticks (for love)
a pinch of Nutmeg or freshly grated (for good luck)
a small handful of Allspice (for vitality and strength)
a few slices of fresh ginger (for energy and potency)
1/2 cup of Honey- optional- (for blessings and attraction)
Set Your Intention
Think of the intentions and blessings you want to enrich your brew with. For example, “May all who drink this be blessed with good fortune, abundance, health and wealth now and in the coming year”. As you continue with the steps, send your intentions into each action to infuse your wassail with these invitations.
Steps
The first thing to do is stud your orange (or oranges) with cloves. A clove studded orange is also called a pomander which can be used to hang as an ornament, placed in your closet or drawers… (and I also have a Yule Ritual that involves making a pomander for abundance and prosperity for the coming year. Have a look here.) With each stud, send your intention into the orange.
Next, slice your second orange into rounds.
Slice your apples horizontally so you can see that natural pentacle (5-pointed star) in the middle. Apples are sacred symbols which relate to the Goddess, divinity, knowledge and truth.
Toss all your spices into the pot sending your magic with them.
Anything else you feel called to add in, throw it in the pot!
Bring the cider to a gentle boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 30-45 mins.
When your wassail is ready, strain out the herbs and fruit. (If you have a garden, you can scatter the strained goods onto your garden as compost and blessings for the following growing year!)
Your house should start to smell amazing as all the spices, fruit and intentions infuse together.
You can serve this as is, you can add a splash of brandy as more traditional drink, or you can even add red wine during the “mulling” processes.
Store any extra in mason jars in the fridge. Drink over the next few days, share with as many people as you can, and let the magic of the season flood through you.
And here’s a little tune you can listen to you while you create your magical brew!
Wishing you blessings, warmth, health and mirth this Yuletide!