The Wassail Tour
What's wassailing?
The English Christmas carol above evokes a holiday custom that goes back a thousand years or more. The wassail bowl is filled with spiced cider, wine or ale while rings of oranges and lemons are afloat. Wassailing continued into the 19th Century with other wassail-like drinks, like eggnog, gaining popularity. Victorian novelists Washington Irving and Charles Dickens elevated this idealized view of what Christmas could be with warm and welcoming homes for families and friends to gather around the wassail bowl, as they might carol from house to house.
At each home folks would give and receive a simple greeting. The toast, “was hail” means be in good health or be fortunate. The reply, “drink hail” was given.
Experience the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas past at Belvidere’s first annual Wassail Tour. Enjoy complimentary wassail and snacks in some of Belvidere’s historic homes. Travel from house to house, visiting parlors decorated for the holidays!
When: Saturday, December 1, 2018, 7:00pm-11:00pm (immediately following the Tree Lighting).
Tickets Online - $15 Adults / $7 Children (under 12)
Event Flyer
Visit the Belvidere Heritage Ticket Tent at The Tree Lighting to purchase tickets, pick up will-call tickets, or bring your already purchased ticket to receive a map, house locations and transportation information.
Tickets
What's wassailing?
The English Christmas carol above evokes a holiday custom that goes back a thousand years or more. The wassail bowl is filled with spiced cider, wine or ale while rings of oranges and lemons are afloat. Wassailing continued into the 19th Century with other wassail-like drinks, like eggnog, gaining popularity. Victorian novelists Washington Irving and Charles Dickens elevated this idealized view of what Christmas could be with warm and welcoming homes for families and friends to gather around the wassail bowl, as they might carol from house to house.
At each home folks would give and receive a simple greeting. The toast, “was hail” means be in good health or be fortunate. The reply, “drink hail” was given.
Experience the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas past at Belvidere’s first annual Wassail Tour. Enjoy complimentary wassail and snacks in some of Belvidere’s historic homes. Travel from house to house, visiting parlors decorated for the holidays!
When: Saturday, December 1, 2018, 7:00pm-11:00pm (immediately following the Tree Lighting).
Tickets Online - $15 Adults / $7 Children (under 12)
Event Flyer
Visit the Belvidere Heritage Ticket Tent at The Tree Lighting to purchase tickets, pick up will-call tickets, or bring your already purchased ticket to receive a map, house locations and transportation information.