Sour Cakes Day

October 18th was known as Sour Cakes Day and was celebrated with great formal procedure in Rutherglen. On the day of the celebration a line was chalked on the woman who chosen Queen, the Bride of the Toaster. With six or seven maidens she set within the line. It was sanctified ground so no else could enter and if they did they had to buy drinks for all the people there. Sitting on the ground in a circle they faced the fire. The Queen held a bowl of ten-day-old leavened dough, which had fermented. The woman east of the fire was called the Todler and the woman on the west the Hodler. All other inside the circle had names also.

Each had a large baking board made of wood. The dough was rolled into balls that were covered in aniseed and sugar. The Todler formed a cake from each ball and put it on the board of the Hodler who beat it thin and then passed it from east to west around the circle. The women beat the cake thin enough to bake. The Toaster cooked it on a girdle hung over an open fire. Singing, laughter, and joking went on during the time it took for the cake to bake. The cakes were given away as presents. It was believed the ceremony came from the baking of cakes to appease the Queen of Heaven in an ancient sect of moon worship.

You can find more articles in the archive under Fada 's Farsaing (Far and Wide)

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