There will, no doubt, come a time when I have found so many wassailing songs, that all else available to me is merely a repetition of previous version, or wassails that are basically recycled version of other one-- though, to be fair, given the free use of stock phrases such as "jolly wassail" and the repeated idea of wishing health and plenty to the Master and Mistress, wassails generally do that already. However, since that is rather common in all folk musical traditions (for example, beating drums slowly, and playing various woodwinds lowly is done quite frequently in wildly diverse folks songs), I do not really consider it as recycling until the majority of the words are the same as are found in other similar songs.... Anyway, as I was saying, a day may come when the finding of original wassails songs to post fails me... but it is not this day!
The Bodmin Wassail is apparently of Cornish Origin. And, apparently, they still wassail regularly in Bodmin, Cornwall. Indeed, if you take a wee peek in here, you will see that there is a plan to do it this year, and that, according to their custom, I am rather jumping the gun a bit, as this is supposed to be a Twelfth Night (i.e. January 6th: Epiphany) event. However, wassails seem fitting for the New Year, so, begging all Cornishmen's pardon, I am making so bold as to post it on this cheerful day instead.
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