The practice is said to have roots in the medieval practice of mumming, which is closely related to souling.[John Pymm writes that "many of the feast days associated with the presentation of mumming plays were celebrated by the Christian Church."These feast days included All Hallows' Eve, Christmas, Twelfth Night and Shrove Tuesday.Mumming, practiced in Germany, Scandinavia and other parts of Europe, involved masked persons in fancy dress who "paraded the streets and entered houses to dance or play dice in silence.