Winter Solstice & Wassailing

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the word solstice comes from the Latin words for "sun" and "to stand still.” In the Northern Hemisphere, as summer advances to winter, the points on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets advance southward each day; the high point in the Sun’s daily path across the sky, which occurs at local noon, also moves southward each day. At the winter solstice, the Sun’s path has reached its southernmost position. The next day, the path will advance northward. However, a few days before and after the winter solstice, the change is so slight that the Sun’s path seems to stay the same, or stand still. The Sun is directly overhead at "high-noon" on Winter Solstice at the latitude called the Tropic of Capricorn.  In the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice days are the days with the fewest hours of sunlight during the whole year.

In 2014, winter begins on December 21, 6:03 P.M. EST.

 

Winter Solstice begins the holiday season.  And where would the holidays be without traditions?

 

 

The phrase, "Ves Heill," which means "good health"  dates the activity back to pre-Norman, or Old Norse times and is still a rare, but time-honored tradition in some areas.  The first form of Wassailing seems to have involved a merry, but financially strapped band of well-wishers turning up at rich peoples' doors and singing heartily for their supper.  Sometimes, the singers would cross the threshold and make their gluttony known. "Figgy pudding" was a common craving, and the trespassing mob would further insist that, "we won't go until we've got some, so bring some right here."

The second form of wassailing is of pagan origin, and took place beneath the green leaves on Twelfth Night.  In another ode to wassailing (there are many), the singers call for "wassailing among the leaves so green". It sounds idyllic, but that's because they fail to mention the alcohol, the girls in trees, the soggy toast, the pots, the pans, or the rowdiness of it all.

 



I'm not sure if the child in the tree is laughing or crying?

In order to perform this form of wassail, one will need some type of cider concoction, a wassailing bowl, a Wassailing Queen, some toast, and a decent  incantation. Begin by visiting your local orchard (or hopefully your own) and wetting the roots of the trees with the cider (poured from the wassailing bowl). Next, hoist your queen into the branches of the tree (so long as the tree is large enough) and get her to feed the spirits with the toast. Be sure to marinade the toast in the cider before you begin. Apparently the tree spirits know their apples…

As far as incantations go, there are a number of them out there, but you need one that encourages the trees to grow strong and tall and to produce a decent yield in the coming year.

 

Solstice Wassail “toast” to the apple trees. 

Set some wassail aside,  give a toast to the tree and then pour the wassail cocktail at the base of the apple trees after reciting the following:

Here's to thee, dear apple tree

Whence thou may'st bud and whence tho may'st blow

And whence thou may'st bear apples enow.

Hats full, caps full, bushel, bushel, sacks full, and my pockets too!

 

A Winter Solstice Wassail Cocktail

6 cups apple cider

2 cups of red wine  

1 cup of orange or regular rum                        

2 cups cranberry juice                   

1 tsp allspice                      

2 cinnamon sticks                            

1 orange                                             

whole cloves

Turn the slow cooker on high and pour in the apple and cranberry juices. Stir in the allspice, then add cinnamon sticks. Stud the orange with some cloves and toss it in. Cover the pot and cook on high for 1 hour. Change the setting to low and allow to simmer for 2 more hours.  Add the wine and rum, heat 45 minutes more, then serve.  Garnish with orange slices.  ~A