Twelfth Night
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In the olden days, the festivities of Christmas lasted twelve days, which was the time supposed to have been taken by the three wise men or kings in their journey to Bethlehem.
The final evening (January 5) was called “Twelfth Night” and marked the end of Christmas festivities and, in ancient Celtic tradition, the end of the 12 Days of Christmas.
On this night, it was customary for the assembled company to toast each other from the wassail bowl. In Old English, wassail means “Be in good health,” but the term came to be applied to the drink itself (usually spiced ale).
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For centuries, going back to Anglo-Saxon times, holiday revelers have wished each other “Wes hal!” (“Be whole!”) while sharing this spiced apple drink. Try making wassail to warm your body and soul!
Wassail was traditionally enjoyed on Twelfth Night to mark the end of Christmas festivities and, in ancient Celtic tradition, the end of the 12-day winter solstice celebration.
Old-fashioned wassail contains roasted apples, which swell up and burst apart in the hot punch… we promise it is worth the extra effort.
Looking for a non-alcoholic version? Try our light wassail!
Ingredients
5 to 6 large baking apples, peeled and cored
1 cup sugar
2 quarts beer or ale
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half, or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
zest of 1 lemon
1-1/2 cups sherry or sweet red wine
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the apples into thick slices, and arrange them in layers in a covered casserole dish, sprinkling a few teaspoons of sugar over each layer. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. (The apples will get puffy and soft.)
- combine the beer, spices, lemon zest, and remaining sugar while the apples bake in a large saucepan. Heat slowly, bringing it just to a simmer (Don’t let the mixture boil).
- When it is hot, add the sherry and keep heating until the mixture reaches a simmer again, still not boiling.
- Place the hot baked apples in a punch bowl, and pour the hot wassail over them.
- Serve hot.
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It was also traditional to cook the most wonderful pastries, cakes, and pies. Some included practical jokes. The “four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie” was no myth. Live birds were placed in a cooked pastry crust. When guests cut into the pie, the birds flew about the room, which delighted everyone. A kinder tradition included placing bread soaked with cider in tree branches for the birds to eat.
In the ancient times of the Roman Saturnalia, the “king of the feast” was elected by beans, and the Twelfth Night cake or “King Cake” included a bean—or, later, a ring or coin. Whoever was given the slice with the prize became the queen and king for the night, and much parading and merriment followed.
In the church calendar, Twelfth Night is the evening before Epiphany (January 6). Because the three wise men (or kings) arrived in Bethlehem bearing gifts for the infant Jesus, Epiphany is also called Three Kings Day and a traditional time of gift giving. “
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