Pictures from ancient South Yorkshire tradition 'Caking Night' - revived for second year running
The local tradition died out around the mid-to-late 2000s
The old South Yorkshire tradition of Caking Night was revived for the second year running on the traditional date of November 1.
Caking Night (sometimes spelt as Cakin’ Neet or Kay Kay Night) was a custom formerly observed on the rural fringes of north-west Sheffield in communities including Stannington, Dungworth, Loxley and Deepcar. Local children would dress up in creepy costume and visit local houses, being rewarded with sweet treats or money for Bonfire Night fireworks, in a similar fashion to trick or treating.
Meanwhile, adults would produce bizarre fancy dress costumes and attend the local pubs, with prizes for the best outfits and fellow pubgoers invited to guess who was underneath the disguise.
The local tradition died out around the mid-to-late 2000s as Halloween became a more universally observed event in the UK.
The Rivelin Inn on Tofts Lane hosted a Caking Night event on the evening of November 1, with nineteen attendees donning costumes – participants included members of the Handsworth Sword Dancers and Sheffield Folklore Society.
Inspired by the revival at Stannington last year, the villagers of Dungworth also reclaimed their local heritage by holding their own gathering branded as Caking Night in Dungworth Village Hall.
Caking Night was an annual fixture at the village’s pub, The Royal, in the mid-20th Century. London-based photographer Homer Sykes visited in 1974, capturing the event for his 1977 book Once A Year : Some Traditional British Customs. However the custom died out here several years ago and the pub, which was also a stronghold of the local carols sung in the build up to Christmas, recently closed down.
Another strand to the revival of interest in the custom in recent years has been the introduction of Caking Night onto the curriculum of Loxley Primary School by Year 5 Teacher and Senior Leader Dan Eaton, with pupils following a 19th Century recipe to bake Tharf Cakes - a form of spiced ginger biscuit traditionally eaten at this time of year.