File:Souling on Halloween.png

Summary

The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian" class="extiw" title="en:Christian">Christian</a> practice of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/souling" class="extiw" title="en:souling">souling</a> on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Hallows%27_Eve" class="extiw" title="en:All Hallows' Eve">All Hallows' Eve</a>, also known as Halloween, in an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England" class="extiw" title="en:England">English</a> town. The photograph is taken from "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Nicholas_Magazine" class="extiw" title="en:St. Nicholas Magazine">St. Nicholas: An Illustrated Magazine for Young Folks</a>", December 1882, p. 93 The magazine states that the rich gave <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/soul_cakes" class="extiw" title="en:soul cakes">soul cakes</a> to the poor on Halloween; in return the recipients <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_prayer" class="extiw" title="en:Christian prayer">prayed</a> for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_in_the_Bible" class="extiw" title="en:Soul in the Bible">souls</a> of the givers and their friends. It further says that 'this custom became so favored in popular esteem that, for a long time, it was a regular observance in the country towns of England for small companies to go about from parish to parish at Halloween, begging soul-cakes by singing under the windows some such verse as this: "Soul, soul, for a soul-cake: Pray you, good mistress, a soul-cake!"' This verse is inscribed on the bottom of this photograph. As the text notes, this practice was also performed on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas" class="extiw" title="en:Christmas">Christmas</a>.

Licensing

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