Last updated November 1, 2026 Souling History I’m a few days late, but I wanted to share with you a piece of what I have learned this year about the origin of Halloween and the tradition of something called soul cakes.  Soul cakes, sometimes referred to as souls, are the precursor to Halloween trick or treating that dates to medieval England and Ireland.  Before the Christian era began, Druidic rites included the building of bonfires to banish the evil spirits thought to be lurking in the shadows. All Hallows Eve (Hallowe’en), known at the time as Samhain, was the festival...