wassail

Evening Amusements for Old-Fashioned Themed Parties – Part 1

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I wanted to host an old-fashioned theme party for a few friends during the Christmas season. My husband and I issued invitations announcing this these before I began researching.

Christmas shopping, work deadlines, and family obligations prevented me from doing more than thinking about it until a week before the party.

I wanted a few ways to demonstrate how our ancestors entertained at parties a century or two ago. In the days for television and radio, how did folks pass the time? The best source for information like this are books and novels written during the time period.

How wonderful that the local library contained a book written in the 1880s on evening entertainments! There are various games, card tricks, forfeits, and even chemical surprises.

With a little planning, a dozen of us got into the spirit of the evening and enjoyed playing games that history seems to have forgotten.

I thought others might enjoy planning this type of evening so I’m sharing about it.

Instead of serving dinner, we simplified the menu to appetizers and desserts yet wanted to follow the theme.

blog-046I made gumbo soup  using a recipe from 1877, a comforting dish that had many guests returning for a second helping. I prepared an old-fashioned stack cake  similar to the dessert my grandmother baked every Christmas.

We drank wassail , which is warm mulled apple cider. The beverage also felt appropriate for the chilly weather.

Some guests got into the “old-fashioned” spirit with their pitch-in dishes. One couple brought a home-made apple pie. Another brought a variation of a yule log with peppermint shavings. Delicious!

blog-055After the appetizers were consumed, the ladies strung popcorn while the men opted for conversation. Fresh cranberries were added to the chain after every fifth popcorn piece making a pretty chain for the Christmas tree.

It was a fun and festive activity to begin our party.

Next time we will talk about party games. Hope you can join in the fun!

-Sandra Merville Hart

 

Source

Planche, Frederick D’Arros. Evening amusements for every one; a collection of mirthful games, parlour pastimes, shadow plays, magic, conjuring, card tricks, chemical surprises, fireworks, forfeits, &c., illus. by George Cruikshank and others, Porter and Coates, ca 1880.

 

Simple Wassail Recipe

/ sandramervillehart / 1 Comment

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My husband and I invited a few friends over for an “old-fashioned” Christmas party.

I wanted to serve wassail but couldn’t find a century-old recipe in any of my cookbooks.

I knew that wassail were warm mulled drinks from earlier research. Beverages became “mulled” when heated with spices and some type of sweetener.

Wassail later was made with mulled cider, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and sugar. The toasted bread that topped the drinks centuries ago didn’t sound very appetizing so I decided against adding it.

Since I didn’t know the amount of spices used, I experimented with the following recipe. It turned out perfectly.

Wassail

1 gallon apple cider

2 sticks of cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon whole cloves

Combine ingredients in a crockpot and turned the setting to low heat about two hours before serving. It may need to warm on high the last half hour until it reaches the desired temperature. Then return it to a lower setting to keep it ready to serve during the evening.

This was a yummy beverage on a cold evening!

-Sandra Merville Hart

 

 

 

What was Wassailing?

/ sandramervillehart

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by Sandra Merville Hart

We often hear an old song at Christmas, “Here we come A-wassailing.” So what does this mean?

In Old English, the word wassail meant “be you healthy.”

Wassail were warm mulled drinks. The beverages became “mulled” when heated with spices and some type of sweetener. Early drinks were made with mead, where ale was sweetened with honey and then brewed. Crab apples were roasted and then added to the mead to create lambswool, a beverage. Folks drank lambswool to celebrate the wheat harvest on Lammas Day, an event observed by the English in August.

crabapple-193676_960_720Wassail later was made with mulled cider, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and sugar. Toasted bread topped the drinks served in a large bowl shared by everyone.

Wassailing referred to the tradition of caroling, with folks singing Christmas carols to neighbors. They brought greetings of the season as well as wishes for good health.

Generosity abounded at Christmas, at least in the hearts of some of the wealthier English citizens. Orphans and beggars often traveled snowy roads to knock on doors. They offered to sing of good cheer for a drink from the owner’s wassail bowl.

open-fire-885860_960_720They also hoped for a pork pie or an invitation to warm themselves around the fire.

The song also mentions their need of money: “We have got a little purse of stretching leather skin; We want a little of your money to line it well within.” The orphans hoped for pennies.

A hot drink on a cold winter’s night warmed the carolers’ spirits just as their songs cheered the listeners.

“Love and joy come to you”—Merry Christmas!

Sources

“Here We Come A-Wassailing,” Wikipedia, 2016/10/19 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_We_Come_A-wassailing.

“Wassail,” Wikipedia, 2016/10/19 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassail.