DADUCHI, in antiquity, priests of Ceres. That goddess having lost her daughter Proserpine, say mythologists, began to make search for her at the beginning of the night. In order to do this in the dark, she lighted a torch, and thus set forth on her travels throughout the world: for which reason it is that she is always seen represented with a lighted torch in her hand. On this account, and in commemoration of this pretended exploit, it became a custom for the priests, at the feasts and sacrifices of this goddess, to run about in the temple, with torches after this manner; one of them took a lighted torch from off the altar, and holding it with his hand, ran with it to a certain part of the temple, where he gave it to another, saying to him, Tibi tradō: this second ran after the like manner to another part of the temple, and gave it to the third, and so of the rest. From this ceremony the priests became denominated daduchi, daduchi, daduchi, &c.
Dadala, Dædalus. q. d. "torch-bearers;" from da, "an unctuous resinous wood, as pine, fir, &c." whereof the ancients made torches; and da, "I have, I hold."—The Athenians also gave the name dædæbus to the high-priest of Hercules.