Yes I think dress up has been going for a while- perhaps part of the revival with the feeling perhaps that when one did folk activities a uniform of sorts was required.

I tend to think that other than twelfth night wassailing and masque style dress that is associated dress was ordinary with the only references being to those whose dress reflected their poverty.

Opinions of wassailer's appearances are polarized. Either they are welcome to behold or terribly aweful.

Often Welsh Mari Lywd participants are dressed formally in black suits with jackets and of course the black hats.

Ordinary dress seems to also make the tradition much more accessible- one less layer of preparation to go through. I also like the overall spirit of innovation which comes through. This is hard to see except in the Mari Lywd traditions where improvised poetry was expected. In other traditions once things get written down they seem to become formalized and set.

Yes in the Carpenter materials they are informal carrying their wassail tree rather than bowl.....except however, for the Christmas Bull tagging along.

Conrad