Gloucestershire Wassail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gloucestershire Wassail |
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|---|---|
| by Traditional | |
| Other name | Wassail! Wassail! All Over the Town The Wassailing Bowl Wassail Song |
| Genre | Christmas carol |
| Text | Traditional |
| Language | English |
| Based on | Traditional English carol |
The Gloucestershire Wassail is a popular English Christmas carol. It is also known by names like "Wassail! Wassail! All Over the Town" or "The Wassailing Bowl". This song comes from the county of Gloucestershire in England. It's a very old song, at least from the 1700s, and maybe even older!
Contents
What is Wassailing?
Wassailing is an old tradition. People would go from house to house singing songs. They would wish good health and good luck to their neighbors. They often carried a special "wassailing bowl" filled with a drink. This tradition was especially popular during the Christmas and New Year season. The songs were meant to bless the homes, farms, and orchards. They hoped for a good harvest in the coming year.
A Song from Long Ago
Nobody knows who wrote the words or the music for the Gloucestershire Wassail. It's a traditional folk song. This means it was passed down through generations. People learned it by listening and singing.
Where Was It First Printed?
The version of the song we know today was first printed in 1928. It appeared in a book called the Oxford Book of Carols. However, older versions of the song were printed before that. Some were published in the 1800s. One book from 1868 mentioned that people were singing this song in Gloucestershire in the 1790s. This shows how long the song has been around!
Listening to the Wassail Song
Many people have recorded or performed the Gloucestershire Wassail. You can find both old and new versions.
Old Recordings
In the early 1930s, a person who studies old traditions and songs, James Madison Carpenter, made recordings. He recorded people singing this song in Gloucestershire. You can even listen to some of these old recordings online. They are kept at the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library website. More recordings of wassailing songs were made in Gloucestershire later in the 1900s.
Modern Artists
Several musical groups have also performed the song.
- The American group Mannheim Steamroller recorded an instrumental version. It was on their popular 1984 album, Christmas.
- Another American group, Waverly Consort, released the song in 1994. It was on their album "A Waverly Consort Christmas".
- Canadian singer Loreena McKennitt included the song on her 2008 Christmas album, A Midwinter Night's Dream.
The Words of the Song
The song has ten main parts, called stanzas. The first stanza is also the chorus. It is usually sung at the beginning and after each stanza. The lyrics often talk about blessing animals and people. They wish for good things like a happy new year and plenty of food.
Wassail! wassail! all over the town,
Here's to our horse, and to his right ear,
So here is to Cherry and to his right cheek
Here's to our mare, and to her right eye,
So here is to Broad Mary and to her broad horn |
And here is to Fillpail and to her left ear
Here's to our cow, and to her long tail,
Come butler, come fill us a bowl of the best
Be here any maids? I suppose here be some;
Then here's to the maid in the lily white smock |
What Do the Lyrics Mean?
The word "Wassail!" is an old English greeting. It means "be in good health!" or "good luck!" In the song, the singers are wishing good fortune to the people they visit.
The lyrics mention different farm animals. Stanzas 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 talk about horses and cows. The singers are blessing these animals. They hope the animals will be healthy and help with a good harvest.
Stanzas 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 also wish good things for the "master" and "mistress" of the house. They hope for a "happy new year" and plenty of food like "beef" and "Christmas pie."
Stanzas 8, 9, and 10 are a bit different. They ask the "butler" to bring out the best drink. They also ask the "maids" to let the singers inside. These stanzas show the friendly, festive spirit of wassailing. It was a time for sharing and celebrating together.
