“Wassailing” is the practice of singing carols and spreading good cheer door-to-door. The word comes from an old Norse greeting ‘vas heill’ meaning ‘good health’ and became a toast before drinking. Later ‘wassail’ became the name of a drink itself, a bit like the mulled wine served at Christmas time today.

With our Nordic roots, it is particularly appropriate that we revive the tradition of Wassailing at St Olave Hart Street!

A huge thank you to all who joined us for our inaugural wassail on Friday 12th December, singing carols and spreading good cheer around some of the pubs of the parish.

Special thanks to Colin Spinks and our choir and to Samuel Pepys himself aka Thomas Barclay Matchett, The London Storyteller.