Text 22459, 100 rader
Skriven 2008-10-23 15:19:23 av Roy Witt (1:397/22)
  Kommentar till text 22408 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
Ärende: Christmas (was: Legal Strictions)
=========================================
23 Oct 08 08:53, Robert Bashe wrote to Roy Witt:

 RB>>> What's "wasseling" anyway? Never heard the word in Germany.

 RW>> My bad, I mispelled it. That's what I get for depending on memory -
 RW>> Bob Bashe.

 RW>> Wassailing as a practice falls into two distinct categories; the
 RW>> House-Visiting wassail; very much similar to caroling, is the
 RW>> practice of people going door-to-door singing Christmas carols. As
 RW>> one song puts it: "Here we come a-wassailing / among the leaves so
 RW>> green"

 RB> This must be the local version,

Of course it is. You don't expect 8+ generations of immigrant Germans to
keep the same traditions, or keep traditions the same as they were in
Germany, c1840. It's great that they even remember their heritage and
haven't completely become Americanized or Texanized, for that matter.

 RB> then, since "Wassail" in German is either a Christmas punch or
 RB> (archaic) a drinking celebration.

Spiked punch. That's called evolving the tradition. :o) Especially
considering there are a few vinyards here.

 RB> You occasionally hear the expression "Wassail heil!" as a drinking
 RB> motto (like "cheers" or "bottoms up") but the above usage is - to my
 RB> knowledge - unknown in Germany.

I'll betcha that 'wurstfest' is too. Plenty of German sausage makers here
too.

 RB> As for the song, I have heard something similar, but it was an old
 RB> English
 RB> song:

 RB> Oh, the hunter did a-shooting go
 RB> And under his cloak he carried a bow
 RB> All for to shoot at a merry little doe
 RB> Among the leaves so green-oh!

 RB> Danny, boy?
 RB> Master?
 RB> Sing thee well?
 RB> Very well.
 RB> Hey-down, ho-down, merry, merry down!
 RB> Among the leaves so green-oh!

That is called the 'wassiling' of the tree. Another holiday festivity.

 RW>> In modern times it is most commonly known through reference in
 RW>> various traditional Christmas carols.

 RW>> In New Braunfels, TX, a very American-German community, the practice
 RW>> of 'wassailing' is done during one evening in December. The public
 RW>> is invited to 'wassail' the many stores downtown, who in turn
 RW>> provide holiday spirits. If you buy something in the store, you'll,
 RW>> no doubt, get an extra glass of spirits, etc..

 RB> Possibly a custom that was common when the Germans who settled the
 RB> region arrived.

A Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels, Germany paid for some land grants for
some German immigrants from his small, should I say, kingdom. Just a bit
NNW of Frankfurt. He eventually went back to Braunfels, because he was
betrothed to wed his love, Sophia. This place benefited from their love as
he left a very nice 'castle' that he built and called it Sophienberg.
Today it's called the Sophienberg Castle. I drive by it on occasion on my
way around town.

 RB> But there is no such thing nowadays here, no carolers or house
 RB> visits, although in times past I have gotten a small bottle
 RB> of spirits as a Christmas gift from a videotek (sp?). However, that
 RB> was an exception.

The practice of caroling has waned thruout the US over the years. However,
it still happens here.

 RB> Christmas here is on the evening of the 24th, when the tree is lit
 RB> (often even nowadays with candles - we do this - and not electric
 RB> lights), carols sung, religious people go to church and the presents
 RB> are then opened. On the 25th, there are visits from family members
 RB> among each other and the Christmas dinner (late lunch), and on the
 RB> 26th, visits from friends of the family.

That's about the same as it is here.

Check this site. Don't forget to click on 'wurstfest' and play the video.
Who knows, you might get a glimpse of me laughing at the horn and
accordian players. ;o)

http://www.newbraunfels.com/

                R\%/itt



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