Showing posts with label Gods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gods. Show all posts

Monday, December 19, 2011

Wassail

Wassail.......from the old English, "be thou hail", is the tradition from which we get "caroling" door to door during the Winter Holidays. Prechristian Europeans had two different traditions in connection to Wassail; the first was to share some of the cider with the trees in orchards, to encourage a good harvest in the following seasons, and the second involved everyone in the household stirring the cider as it simmered, while "praying", if you will, to the Gods and Ancestors, meditating on wishes for the upcoming year. Then, of course, it would be time to go "wassail" the neighbors, sharing cider with them.

Here's a recipe for Wassail:
2 quarts of apple cider
2 cups of orange juice
1/2 cup of lemon juice
12 whole cloves
1 pinch ground ginger
1 pinch ground nutmeg
2 cinnamon sticks
*optional; 1 quart white wine
*not optional; wishes and prayers stirred in

Simmer all of the ingredients together in a large pot, while stirring, meditating on your wishes for the upcoming seasons. Drink up, sharing with everyone in sight. This year, my hopes stirred into the Wassail will be for all of the people for whom I have done readings on this blog. Blessed Be.


Wassail, shared with all of you. My heartfelt wishes and prayers are for happy resolution to everyone for whom I have shared readings on this blog. Solstice Greetings.