Voysey Rook and Holly Pattern Christmas Tote Bag

Fresh and festive with an understated elegance, this Christmas tote bag conveys a sophisticated simplicity and includes words from the chorus of The Soulin' Song. Whether you use it for holiday shopping, as a gift bag or just to tote your books and groceries, it's sure to inspire the holiday spirit. >b>Description:>/b> Three blackbirds perch on the bare branches of a tree adorned with mistletoe. The text reads "Soal, a soal, a soal cake, please good mistress a soal cake. An apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry, any good thing to make us all merry. One for Peter, two for Paul, three for Him Who made us all." Adapted from Rook and Holly by CFA Voysey, an Arts and Crafts Movement design from the mid 1890s. Colours include black, grey, red and a subtle muted green. History of The Soalin' Song: The custom of soaling during the Yuletide is believed to date back to perhaps as early as the tenth century Anglo-Saxon England, when the less fortunate would go a-soaling, entreating the more fortunate townsfolk for a comfit from larder or purse, singing as they went.. It is unclear whether "wassailing" derives from "a-soaling" or the other way round, but both terms describe the same activity. The song itself was already very old by Elizabethan times when the first known written version was recorded. By the 19th century, the song was being sung by begging children on All Soul's Day (perhaps a confusion of "soul" and the lost meaning of "soal") in some counties, notably Cheshire and Shropshire, as recorded by folklorists of the day. Folk groups revived the song in the 1960s in its original version as Christmas wassailing song, and popular recording artists have recently performed it at Christmas concerts and included it in Christmas albums. It's one of my personal favourites. Matching items and more are available in my store's Arts and Crafts department. Just click the link that says "store" above to find them. More words to help you find this are Soaling Song, Souling Song, Soulin Song, soal cake, soul cake, Christmas carols, Christmas songs, holiday folk songs and English Mediaeval and Renaissance carols.