By Jon Wilks
Wassailing comes in two forms: apple wassailing, and wassailing as an early form of carol singing.
In which people gather in orchards banging pots and pans in order to wake the tree spirits from their winter slumber.
In which people walk through the towns and villages, asking for sustenance at houses in return for a song.
The latter usually involves a wassailing bowl, something to store the wassailing drink in as you walk.
Traces of ancient wassails can be heard in the Christmas carol, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, when the singers declare, "we all want some figgy pudding, so bring it right here."
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