What is Souling & Soul Cakes?...

 ...I remember caroling and singing this song, --- also singing, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"...

"A soul, a soul, a soul cake,

Please, good Missus, a soul cake,

An apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry,

Any good thing to make us all merry...

One for Peter

Two for Paul,

Three for him who made us all...

Go into your cellar and see what you can find,

If the barrel is not empty, I hope you will be kind.

I hope you will be kind, good Missus,

I hope you will be kind.

If the barrel is not empty, I hope you will be kind.

Bless you, Missus, and Master,

And, all your household though,

Yes, all the little children that 'round you table grow,

The horses in your stable,

The dog at your front door,

Of glad tidings and good wishes,

I wish you ten times more!...

A soul, a soul, a soul cake,

Please, good Missus, a soul cake,

An apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry,

Any good thing to make us all merry,

One for Peter,

Two for Paul, three for him who made us all!"

******************

Soul cakes were made with flour, eggs, butter, milk, spices and dried fruit. The way they were made in Olden Times is probably not as rich as we would make them today.

🎄🎅💘💚💘💚 Soul cakes are given to Mummers at Christmas Time, when the song is sung with caroling, but they also have a tradition on All Souls Day...

A 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 Christian traditions.^[ 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",^[1] especially the souls of deceased relatives, thought to be in Purgatory. The practice in England dates to the medieval period,^[4] and was continued there until the 1930s. In Sheffield and Cheshire, the custom has continued into modern times. In Lancashire and in the North-east of England soul cakes were known as Harcakes, a kind of thin parkin.

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 other countries, souling is seen as the origin of the practice of trick-or-treating. 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. 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. Any leftover soul cakes are shared among the distributing family or given to the poor.