Does anyone go wassailing anymore?

I suppose they do, though we don’t use that term around these parts much anymore. Wassailing means going door-to-door, singing and having a drink. It sounds a bit like carolling and a lot more like house-visiting mummers.

Traditionally (in England) the beverage of choice was ‘wassail’ — a sort of punch shared from a communal bowl. It was a mulled cider spiced with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, then topped with topped with slices of toasted bread.

The mulled cider part sounds good, but I have never once in my life thought, “what this cider needs is a good piece of soggy toast.”

I digress.

Check out the Irish Descendants version of the Wassail Song on their 2002 album The Gift.

More Christmas and Holiday Music from Newfoundland & Labrador

Stay tuned for more great Christmas songs from Newfoundland and Labrador.

I'm a big fan of traditional Christmas music, I love to hear a modern rendition of a 300 year old carol but, occasionally, a brand new song comes to my attention and dominates my Christmas listening. Newfoundland and Labrador's musicians have been holding their own in both regards. I’ll be sharing local songs —both old and new— from now until Christmas in my 2022 NL Music Advent Calendar.

Follow along on Instagram stories and get playlists here.

Check out: 2021’s NL Christmas music calendar.