Around the globe, and across the span of history, any intrepid explorer can discover countless unique cultural and religious customs inspiring everything from intrigue and excitement to bewilderment. One of the more interesting holiday traditions of western civilization hails from old England where a medieval Christmas included a drinking ritual known as wassail or wassailing.
Some scholars believe it was initially practiced to ensure a good apple harvest, a practice with long roots perhaps reaching as far back as pagan times, while another version of wassailing consisted of going door to door, singing or caroling, and exchanging gifts while trading sips from large, usually wooden, wassail bowls. However, beer writer Randy Mosher argues the custom is really about drinking, not singing.