What is a Cake Walk?

I opened my email this morning and there was a weee comment from Zezette asking, "What is a cake walk?"

So I explained what a cake walk is today. It's a carnival/fun-fair favourite, especially in schools. Like musical chairs, participants walk around a circle of numbers and when the music stops, they stop on a number. The caller then pulls out a number from a hat or spins a wheel and the participant standing on that number wins a cake (usually donated by parents or volunteers).

Then, being a history geek, I did a websearch for cake + walk + history, and I saw some interesting/disturbing things.

I started to see a number of pages about the cake walk as a plantation dance event where slaves got to mock their masters in elaborate dances that poked fun at the upper classes.

Some of the better plantation owners would bake a cake on Sundays and invite the neighbors over and have a contest of the slaves, different prizes were given but originally it was a cake and whichever slave won, would get the cake... thus the term "That Takes The Cake!" (Plus others such as 'It's a Cakewalk' = very easy) and the name "Cakewalk" was now set.

The music used for the cakewalks eventually evolved into Ragtime but in it's minstrel show heyday, even Debussy got into the act with the insultingly-titled Golliwogg's cake walk. (Oh, Debussy, how could you?)

Now, I was sure this was a Commonwealth game (I'm sure I took part in a cake walk in the U.K.) but perhaps it is American. I have also had trouble finding how or if this cakewalk is connected to the carnival cake walk. Perhaps it isn't but I will continue researching; I suspect I will have to research carnival games... I'll keep you all informed.