Christmas Carols Evolved from Wassailing Tradition

The next time carolers appear at your door singing Christmas songs, you're witnessing a tradition that stretches back over a thousand years to medieval England—though the original wassailers probably expected a drink in return.

Wassail comes from the Old Norse "ves heil" and Old English "was hál," meaning "be in good health." What started as a simple greeting became a full-blown drinking custom so distinctive that Norman conquerors in the eleventh century recognized the toast as uniquely English. The word appears as early as the eighth-century epic poem Beowulf.

Two Flavors of Wassailing

Medieval England developed two distinct wassailing traditions. Orchard wassailing involved farmers drinking and singing to apple trees, hoping to encourage a bountiful autumn harvest. This agricultural ritual persisted well into the eighteenth century.

But it's house-to-house wassailing that gave us caroling. During the Middle Ages, the Christmas season temporarily suspended normal social hierarchies. The poor could visit the homes of the wealthy and drink together—a privilege denied the rest of the year. Friends and strangers alike would carol their townsfolk and be rewarded with a steaming cup of wassail, a spiced ale or cider.

When the feudal system ended in the 16th century, people shifted from visiting feudal lords to visiting neighbors instead. They'd carry the hot beverage door to door, singing carols and wishing each household prosperity and health.

From Wassail Songs to Christmas Carols

The word "carol" itself derives from French "carole" or Latin "carula," meaning a circular dance. In medieval times, carols weren't exclusively Christmas songs—about half celebrated other religious festivals or were entirely secular. The first Christmas carols in English appear in a 1426 work by John Awdlay, a Shropshire chaplain, who listed twenty-five "caroles of Cristemas" probably sung by wassailers.

The most famous wassailing songs include "The Gloucestershire Wassail Song" and "Here We Come A-Wassailing." These carols often emphasized the wassailers' respectability: "We are not daily beggars that beg from door to door, but we are friendly neighbors whom you have seen before."

By the Victorian era, wassail lost much of its association with alcohol and gift-giving. The tradition evolved into the practice we know today: groups visiting neighbors to sing Christmas carols, usually without expecting a boozy reward.

The Golden Age

The period from roughly 1350 to 1550 marked the golden age of English carols. Most featured a "burden-verse" form—a repeated chorus alternating with verses. This structure made them perfect for group singing, whether you were a trained musician or just a neighbor with holiday spirit and hopefully decent pitch.

So when carolers show up at your door this Christmas, you're experiencing a living link to medieval England. You're just less obligated to offer them a cup of spiced ale—though they probably wouldn't refuse.