Modern Medievalism: Simnel cakes

Monday, March 7, 2016

Simnel cakes

At my local Ordinariate parish for Laetare Sunday, the priest blessed the "simnel cake", which apparently has some traditional associations with mid-Lent in England. The whole thing drew a blank on me until I looked it up on the Internet afterward, but the custom seems to have grown out of Victoriana. The eleven balls stand for the Apostles (minus Judas). Unfortunately, I forgot to grab a piece on the way out, so I can't tell you if it was any good....

1 comment:

Huw RichardsonMarch 8, 2016 at 4:00 PM
The decorations are Victorian... But the idea of lughtening the fast witg a rich cake/bread is found back at least to the 12th C. Per the wiki (I know, not the best source)...
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Previously on Modern Medievalism

The periodical nature of blogs make it easy for past articles I've written to slip into obscurity.

English liberty: the tradition of rebellion, America as it could have been, and America as it should be
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Gotham's reckoning: Bane, Burke, and the French Revolution
What the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy has to tell about the decline of civilizations.

Ending the winter of our discontent: Richard III Week
The beginning of my series on Richard III, the last, much-maligned Plantagenet king of England, in the days leading up to his reinterment in Leicester.

Lay piety in the Middle Ages
My appearance on Radio Maria to gab on Christianity as it was held by the common classes in medieval England.

Merry Ole England Reborn
The first in an ongoing series on the history of medieval revivalism in Victorian Britain. I've so far covered the age of Napoleon, the re-publication of Le Morte d'Arthur, and the Eglinton Tournament.

Lessons on manliness: from a medieval knight's own words
Readings from the Manual of Chivalry by Sir Geoffroi de Charny, a handbook for knights written in the 14th century.

The Divine Office as a Foundation of Culture: Why It Must Be Restored
A manifesto for the restoration of the Divine Hours as a publicly prayed devotion in the parish church, with a brief look at its importance in the piety of the medieval world.

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Gems from Pugin's "Glossary of Ecclesiastical Ornament"
A marvelous selection of readings and illustrations from Pugin's Glossary, a manual for church interior designers, vestment-makers, and liturgical artists.

Selections from Ferrey's "Recollections of A.N.W. Pugin"
Humorous anecdotes and enlightening readings from Pugin's memoirs or friends' accounts. Includes a no-holds-barred letter of why Pugin hated the architecture of the city of Rome.

The marvelous creations of Pugin, and other photos
A three-part photo series of Pugin's many creations, from book bindings, wedding dresses, and Gothic doorknobs, to altarpieces, baldachins, and the Houses of Parliament.

An Earnest Appeal for the Revival of the Ancient Plain Song
Pugin's tract on Gregorian chant, choir stalls, and congregational singing is online for the first time ever, right here on Modern Medievalism.

The Modern Medievalists

Architects and Defenders of Medieval Civilization