The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-12-15
Stories Of The
Christmas Carols
Prepared fer Community Service by
Pros. Peter w. Dykema, Uni
versity of Wisconsin,
Madison, Wis.


scribe a large variety of songs WHICH are
to be used during the Christmas Season.
They are of two main types-the religious
and the convivial: the one celebrating the
birth of Jesus; the other exaltlng mTth
and feasting Only lately has much atten-
ton been given to this material by serious
musicians During the 18th century the
carol literature was of the humblest kind
Such material as was available was
handed on by tradition. Many of the
older ones have doubtless been entirely
lost and many that we now hear have
been considerably undermined Davis
Gilbert seems to have been the first per-
son who attempted to fix these vanishing
memories of the past.
The Ref0rmer publishes herewith the
sixth of a list of 10 of the best Christmas
Carols which are TO be used in Brattle-
horo during the Christmas season under
the inspiration of Community Service:
Here We Come A-CarOIIing.
The original words of this traditional
English Christmas song began, Here we
come a-wassailing" and continued IL the
chorus. Love and JOY come to you. and
to YOU your wassaiI, too The old song
was commonly sung by groups Of revei-
erS. particularly Young women, who went
about Offering a hot drink, a merry song.
and q pretty curtSey in exchange for
small gift Their drink of spiced ale was
Il
"wasSail" comes from the Anglo-Saxon
"waes- hael.'' meaning BE in health"
The bearers of this bowl, which was gaily
decked with rosemary, received pastry
and small change as they went from house
to house. Their visits were the forerun-
ners Of the New Year open house calls
which still are frequent in some part of
cur country.
The composition of the contents Of the
bowl was ale, nutmeg. sugar. toast and
roasted crabs or apples. 1t was also
called Lambs Wool. Often the poorer
people of the English villages went around
with the bowl. adorned with ''rihbands"
and bearing a golden apple atop, singing
and begging money for it 50 that they.
too. might buy Lambs Wool for it and
regale themselves as well as the rich. 1t
was usual in Devonshire for the wasSail-
ers to club the money presents they had
received and CXpeud it all in a social
merry making on Twelfth Night.
Carolling and wassaihRg are mentioned
by numerous writer's. among whom are
Scott in Lady of the Lake and Alarraion
Shakespeare, whose GOsSip's Bowl IN
Midsummer Nights Dream is the was
sail bowl itself; and Goldsmith in Vicar
of Wakefield. who says. They kept up
the Christmas carol"
\ curious custom was the wasSailing of
the trees, which consisted not only in
watering Cor cidering) them, but in some
fanciful ceremony including singing and
! speech-makiug. In these later days we
are trying the effect of photograph music
on milking cows possibly we may even
revive the waSSailing of the trees.
Here we come a-carolling
! Among the leaves 50 green:
Here we come a-wand' firing
SO fair to be seen.
Chorus
Love and JOY come to you
And a joyful Christmas, too:
And Gad bless yeu and sand
You q Happy New Year
And God send you a Happy New Year
We are not daily beggars
That beg from door to door.
But we are ncighbors' children
That you have saen before
Chorus ...
God bless the Master of this house
ri Likewise the Mistress, too
And all the little children
That round the table go.
+ Chorus
Traditional.
Next Carol: 1t Came Upon the Mid