The cakes are usually filled with allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger or other sweet spices, raisins or currants, and before baking are topped with the mark of a cross to signify that these were alms. The tradition of giving soul cakes was celebrated in Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages, although similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy. Any leftover soul cakes are shared among the distributing family or given to the poor.
Among Catholics and Lutherans, some parishioners have their soul cakes blessed by a priest before being distributed in exchange, the children promise to pray for the souls of the deceased relatives of the giver during the month of November, which is a month dedicated especially to praying for the Holy Souls. In the United States, some churches, during Allhallowtide, have invited people to come receive sweets from them and have offered to "pray for the souls of their friends, relatives or even pets" as they do so. In other countries, souling is seen as the origin of the practice of trick-or-treating. The practice of giving and eating soul cakes continues in some countries today, such as Portugal (where it is known as Pão-por-Deus and occurs on All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day), as well as the Philippines (where it is known as Pangangaluwa and occurs on All Hallows' Eve). In Lancashire and in the North-east of England soul cakes were known as Harcakes, a kind of thin parkin. In Sheffield and Cheshire, the custom has continued into modern times.
The practice in England dates to the medieval period, and was continued there until the 1930s. The cakes, often simply referred to as souls, are given out to soulers (mainly consisting of children and the poor) who go from door to door during the days of Allhallowtide singing and saying prayers "for the souls of the givers and their friends". Soul cakes eaten during Halloween, All Saints' Day and All Souls' DayĪ soul cake, also known as a soulmass-cake, is a small round cake (though they more resemble in appearance and texture a shortbread biscuit, with sweet spices) which is traditionally made for Halloween, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day to commemorate the dead in many religions traditions.
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