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[Spurt]

[Sweet Caroline 1]

 

[SusieQ_2]

[ShowMe]

Looks like everyone is having fun on here.....keep them coming.  

[WaJa61]

Happy Halloween, @ShowMe and all! 🎃

Enjoy your treats, the costumes and stay safe! 

[cherry]

History

The tradition of giving soul cakes was celebrated in Britain or Ireland during the Middle Ages,[10] although similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy.[11]

The cakes were usually filled with allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger or other sweet spices, raisins or currants, and before baking were topped with the mark of a cross to signify that these were alms. They were traditionally set out with glasses of wine on All Hallows' Eve as an offering for the dead[citation needed] , and on All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day children would go "souling",[12] or ritually begging for cakes door to door. In 1891, Rev. M. P. Holme of Tattenhall, Cheshire, collected the song traditionally sung during souling, from a little girl at the local school.[13] Two years later, the text and tune were published by folklorist Lucy Broadwood, who commented that souling was still practised at that time in Cheshire and Shropshire.[14] Further recordings of the traditional soul-cake song were collected in various parts of England until the 1950s.[15] Versions collected later may have been influenced by folk revival recordings of the song by such groups as The Watersons.

Versions

The 1891 version contains a chorus and three verses:[14]

[Chorus]
A soul! a soul! a soul-cake!
Please good Missis, a soul-cake!
An apple, a pear, a plum, or a cherry,
Any good thing to make us all merry.
One for Peter, two for Paul
Three for Him who made us all.

[Verse 1]
God bless the master of this house,
The misteress also,
And all the little children
That round your table grow.
Likewise young men and maidens,
Your cattle and your store ;
And all that dwells within your gates,
We wish you ten times more.

[Verse 2]
Down into the cellar,
And see what you can find,
If the barrels are not empty,
We hope you will prove kind.
We hope you will prove kind,
With your apples and strong beer,
And we'll come no more a-souling
Till this time next year.

[Verse 3]
The lanes are very dirty,
My shoes are very thin,
I've got a little pocket
To put a penny in.
If you haven't got a penny,
A ha'penny will do ;
If you haven't get a ha'penny,
It's God bless you

[ShowMe]

@WaJa61......thanks, and the same to you.  Hope your little ones have fun tonight, and get lots of goodies.

[ShowMe]

@cherry......thanks so much for this history lesson.  Very interesting.  Hope all enjoy it.  Know I did.