Symbol of fertility, warmth, good health, goodwill.
Wassail is a Yule drink that has been produced since ancient times. People would travel through their crops during the Yule season, pouring wine on the land to bless it and yelling to drive away evil spirits. The wine was transformed into a wassail beverage. Druids and Pagans both participated in this fertility rite.
Feudal lords used to lavish wassail on their peasants during the Middle Ages. As a gesture of goodwill, the lord would provide the peasants drink and food.
People in Victorian England would sing about and receive wassail from home to house. The hot beverage served as a reminder that warmer weather was on the way. Wassail was a wine-and-spice beverage. It was a symbol of good health and warmth.
Wassailing has evolved into caroling in modern times. People continue to go door to door, wishing others happiness.