However, it has evolved to also refer to a traditional English Christmas custom involving:
* Singing and dancing: A group of people would go from house to house singing songs and performing dances, often in exchange for food and drink.
* Fruit trees: In rural areas, wassailing would involve going to orchards and singing songs to awaken and bless the fruit trees for a bountiful harvest. This would often involve toasting the trees with cider and placing pieces of toast soaked in cider on their branches.
So, in essence, wassailing is a festive tradition celebrating good health, good fortune, and a plentiful harvest.