Samhain - Halloween - All Hallows Eve - October 31 to November 1, in the Northern Hemisphere - is a Celtic festival marking the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter and is considered to be the darker half of the year. The skies are turning grey, the leaves have fallen from the trees and the garden is bare. It is a time where we honour the dead, protect the living and petition the spirits for wisdom and prediction.
Death is a reoccurring theme during this time as boundaries dissolve and the veils between worlds during equinoxes and solstices are at their thinnest. That is why it is believed that the spirits, faeries, ancestors and darker entities could more easily roam our lands as the portal between our world and theirs is considered to be at its thinnest; therefore we want to honour and hold offerings to our ancestors, the dead, the departed and the otherworldly for this reason.
Samhain is a magical time. As the dark half of the year begins, death is followed by rebirth, the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year, it's a time of rest and reflection as we go inward to honour the darkness as we descend into winter and the darker half of the year. Remember... light is born from darkness and darkness has potential and growth... through death we find rebirth.
An old Soulers rhyme...
A soul, a soul, a soul cake,
Please good missus a soul cake,
An apple, a pear, a plum or a cherry,
Or any good thing to make us merry.
Soul Cakes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoon mixed spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup currants
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar or maple syrup
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Line a baking tray with baking parchment paper. Set aside.
In a bowl add the flour, mixed spice, salt and currants. Stir to combine.
In another bowl cream together the butter and sugar using a hand held mixer on medium high speed. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until the mixture crumbles. Gradually add enough milk until a soft dough forms.
Turn the dough out on a flat surface and knead until it is uniform. Form the dough into flat cakes, you may use a 2 inch round biscuit cutter if you wish, and using a knife mark each with a cross. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
Notes : almond flour and oatmeal flour make good substitutes for flour.