#583 Lets Go Souling
Fun Fact #583
Lets Go 'Souling'
Ah Halloween full of spooks and scares all around, yet few people know the origin of the sweetest part of the whole ordeal. Without further ado lets feast our eyes on why candy is given out for All Hallow's Eve.
Since 609AD All Saints Day (Nov. 1st) has been celebrated throughout the Christian world, and an important part of the day's celebration was to have dinner with your family to pray for those who you've lost (although it was originally started for martyrs). Key to these dinners was the eating of something sweet followed by the titular prayers and then ending the day with some games to help cheer up the mood. Yet the Poor and the travelers were not excluded from the celebration, thanks to the tradition known as 'Souling'.
Traditionally 'souling' is done the night before (on All Hallows Eve --better known as Halloween) and is where the homeowner or giver bakes a "Soul Cake" which were small cakes or pastries with something sweet mixed in --often spices, currants, or Saffron. These would then be taken to the person in mourning with the exception of All Hallows Eve, where the poor and travelers could go to homes and ask for 'Souling'. The person would then receive a soul cake (receiving alms) and they'd say a prayer together before the person continued onto the next house or was invited in.
Yet here an odd thing happened, Children liked the sweet cakes and began dressing up and running around to try and trick their neighbors into giving them alms like they would a traveler. Most of the time they'd be caught but often they'd get a cake anyway if the neighbor was kind. Then during the Great Depression s it became more common for homes to give out candy in place of Soul Cakes since candy was pre-made and much cheaper in bulk. Oddly one of the first notable pieces of candy used in place of Soul cakes were Reese's Peanut Butter cups making news headlines in 1930 and has been a staple of Halloween ever since.
Last important thing to note: Souling can be done at anytime, so if you've ever been to a funeral or tried to comfort a friend with donuts, cookies or something else sweet then you can say that you too have gone 'Souling'.
