While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 7 - A wassailing we will go!

Today it's time to go wassailing in the company of the royal family of the English folk world, the Watersons. Here they are with the Malpas Wassail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE2BsU-dVdI

A real roots gem. The Brits (and Finns!)among you will all know about the ancient tradition of wassailing which is the ancestor of modern carol singing. There were two kinds.

Firstly, the poor of the parish going to sing for the local gentry in the hope of getting some figgy pudding and a glass of punch. If these were not forthcoming, this could sometimes end up in a punch up.

Then in Somerset and the southeast there would be orchard wassails where the locals would sing for the trees to drive away evil spirits and ensure a good harvest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassailing


For the real hard-core Wassailologists among you here is a 1977 BBC programme about the tradition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5_Z2gw_wek

And here are a few other wassails for your enjoyment.

The Albion Band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR4SCIGXuw4

Steeleye Span

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vwwEmQmSWs

Kate Rusby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZjQTCaJCEY

Finally a real surprise, Blur doing a wassail!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk4LSrugwRY

Not too bad either.

To my knowledge, their arch-rivals, Oasis, never recorded any.

They'd probably have commented: Wassail the fuss about?