String Quartet Cello,String Quartet,Viola,Violin - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1491580 Composed by Traditional. Arranged by James M. Guthrie. Chamber,Christmas,Historic,Holiday,Traditional. 13 pages. Jmsgu3 #1068280. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.1491580). Here We Come A-Wassailing is a traditional English Christmas carol with roots that likely extend back to the mid-19th century, if not earlier. The exact authorship of the carol is unknown. The song is associated with the tradition of wassailing, which involves going door-to-door singing in exchange for food and drink. This practice predates Christianity and was part of mid-winter celebrations. The term wassail originates from the Anglo-Saxon greeting waes hael, meaning be in good health. This greeting evolved into a toast, with one person saying was hail and another responding drinc hail while passing around a communal bowl of a drink made from mulled ale or mead, spices, and apples, known as wassail. Wassailing has two primary forms: one that occurs post-Christmas, often associated with Twelfth Night, and another that takes place before Christmas. The latter involves singing carols and sharing wassail from a bowl. At the same time, the former includes rituals to encourage fertility in orchards, such as singing to trees and offering cider-soaked toast. The carol Here We Come A-Wassailing has several variations, including Here We Come A-Caroling and Here We Come A-Christmasing, each with different lyrics but similar themes of merriment and well-wishing for the New Year.
