Can anyone from the Wakefield area answer this question?

[Mo&Chris]

Scot living in Wakefield, and while I do know the phrase, I'm sure it was from a Terry Pratchett book - or just general reading - rather than anything I've every heard anyone round here say.

/Mo

[greekgranny]

Originally Posted by YorkshireT

This is an interesting thread. It shows how a very old winter tradition, which actually seems to have been practised a lot in the SW, has been adopted into local language in a small geographical area of Yorkshire. This area seems to span from maybe just a bit into South Yorkshire but in a weaker form there, and be concentrated around the Wakefield area in West Yorkshire where ‘Wessel Cups’ will be understood by most people of a certain age (think the phrase is getting lost on younger generations). I also think it gets into Leeds.
It is strange isn’t it, local dialect.

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Thankyou, it has been bugging me for a while. It does seem localised and also an age thing. Still it's good to know that it hasn't died out completely.

[Weddingnyc]

We’re from South Elmsall and my aunts have Wessle Cups, which are bigger than a usual bauble and hang down in the middle of the window, off the curtain pole.

[Nesbits]

Wakefield born and bred, I always call them wessal cups as do my family. Can’t abide the word baubles. Happy Christmas x

[greekgranny]

Originally Posted by Nesbits

Wakefield born and bred, I always call them wessal cups as do my family. Can’t abide the word baubles. Happy Christmas x

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Getting to be quite a crowd now.
Happy Christmas all

[clucky]

We’re from Horbury and my husband is Wakefield born and bred ... he calls them this too

[Diesel]

I read this with interest. I am from Wakefield, my Mum from Ossett my Dad from Fitzwilliam we all call them wessel cups.. Iv recently moved and no one has heard of it.. surprising to hear it’s a very local to Wakefield saying good to keep the tradition going! Thanks for posting

[Wessel]

Some baubles have indents I them, little cups. These are wessels (wassail) cups. We were taught this at primary school in alverthorpe back in the early 70s. If it ain't got an indentation it's just a bauble.

[Voyager74656]

Originally Posted by greekgranny

Born and brought up in Wakefield and we always called the Christmas tree baubles wessel (wassail) cups. In the South they look at us if we are barmy! On talking to a couple of Yorkshire friends they had never heard of it either. After extensive Googling the general opinion is that it is confined to the Wakefield area. Is it a quaint Yorkshire expression that has faded with time or do people still use the term?

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I’m from Wakefield and was brought up calling Christmas tree decorations wessel cups. Like you, when I mention wessel cups to colleagues and friends they have looked at me as if I’m from another planet, so your not alone.

[Janieart]

My mum was Wakefield born and bred and she called the glass decorations Wessel cups. She was born in 1928 and, as kids in the 50’s and 60’s, we always called them that.
It must derive from wassailing but the pronunciation was a very definite ‘e’ in Wessel. Interesting- I didn’t realise that it was a term so specific to Wakefield