Soul Cakes
Boo! Trick or Treat! Give me something good to eat! … are familiar exclamations that we’ve grown accustomed to on Halloween, but centuries ago those who opened their doors may have heard Bible verses, hymns, or promises of prayers for their deceased relatives.
Most of the door-knockers participating in this activity were beggars hoping for a small parcel of food to quell their tummy’s emptiness and incessant rumbling. The offering of a cake added sweetness to the batch, which encouraged other prayerful “soulers” to stroll along,” and more importantly, provided extra prayers.
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Everything has its origins, and soul cakes date back to Samhain, which is an ancient Celtic tradition, sweetly translating to “summer’s end.”
Later, after seeing some worth, Christianity reframed this tradition with hopes of capitalizing on its immense popularity and disseminating it as a new spin and pious service. Soul cakes were integrated into the Christian church by the eighth century, and were consecrated and blessed to be distributed to impoverished travelers who might stop by the local monastery.
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These soulers, who ventured out on All Soul’s Eve, traversed the terrain “souling” or singing and praying for the souls of the dead. One cake given; one Soul saved was the motto. This was considered an excellent bargain. But, beware to those homeowners who did not supply a soul cake as they were believed to be cursed.
Souling for soul cakes was the original Halloween treat, and got the ball rolling for modern day trick-or-treaters, who are now inundated with truckloads of candy in return for spooktacular quips. These tasty cakes were incised with a cross or raisins to formulate the heralded shape. As nice of a tradition as this is, imagine praying without a reward - no cake or candy needed. Happy Halloween and Happy Souling!
~” Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours,” Mark 11:24. ~
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