Soul Cakes - November 2 - The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day)

Soul cakes are a Christian Hallowtide tradition dating to the medieval period in England, Wales, and Ireland. They were baked for All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days. On those days, adults and children would go knocking door to door, offering their prayers for the household’s deceased loved ones in exchange for the cakes plus other treats like apples and wine. “Soulers” would carry with them hollowed out turnip lanterns with a candle inside, to represent a soul trapped in purgatory. Some soulers dressed up as saints or spirits. These pious (if sometimes raucous) customs came to the U.S. with Catholic immigrants and developed into the American customs of jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating. Soul cakes are like a cross between a scone and a shortbread biscuit. They are heavily spiced, sweetened with currants or raisins, and marked with a cross on top. We bake them each year and take them to the cemetery with us on All Souls’ Day, to exchange with friends who meet us there to pray for the dead.