"Ring Around The Rosies, A pocket full of posies, Tisha! Tisha! We all fall down."
Lori and I were talking at work the other day and for some reason this nursery rhyme came into the conversation. I, being the highly intelligent person I am, haha, had to prove my knowledge by letting her know where that rhyme originated; something I learned at Dallas Institute in Microbiology class.Ring Around the Rosies is a rhyme or riddle that came from the 1600's when the bubonic plague was reeking havoc on Europe. Let's break it down real quick:
The "ring" was the rash that was one of the first signs of the plague.
"Posies" were different herbs and spices that were carried in pockets to freshen the air from the great stench of death, seeing as hundreds were dying by the day.
"Tisha, Tisha" is now said as "ashes, ashes" is interpreted two ways, one is the "tissue" that a person held across their mouth to breathe through in hopes that they wouldn't catch the disease; the second is interpreted to be sneezing, "achoo, achoo."
The last part, "we all fall down," yeah, you guessed it, that's when everybody dies from the plague. Kind of a morbid rhyme for us to skip around in circles and laugh and teach to our children, don't ya think? Makes you kinda wonder what some of the other nursery rhymes really mean..... hmmmm. Oh, and the barber pole pictured, well... research it yourself. Men, it might just make you reconsider that haircut.
-approved by Farley Wells, SAD-CMDI, who is busy researching Dr. Suess': "Green Eggs & Ham" to see just what it really means.
6 comments:
Lynn,
I did know that about Ring Around the Rosies.
I also remember getting a book of nursery rhymes when my oldest was born and most of them just do not make any sense. After spending long nights with a baby who wouldn't sleep, I decided most were probably written while trying to get their own babies to SLEEP!!!
Karen
The origin of the barber pole is associated with the service of bloodletting.[1] During medieval times, barbers also performed surgery on customers. The original pole had a brass basin at the top (representing the vessel in which leeches were kept) and bottom (representing the basin which received the blood). The pole itself represents the staff that the patient gripped during the procedure to encourage blood flow.
The red and white stripes symbolize the bandages used during the procedure: red for the blood-stained and white for the clean bandages. Originally, these bandages were hung out on the pole to dry after washing. As the bandages blew in the wind, they would twist together to form the spiral pattern similar to the stripes in the modern day barber pole. The barber pole became emblematic of the barber/surgeon's profession. Later the cloths were replaced by a painted wooden pole of red and white stripes.
Well, somebody did some research. Go Jason! And I think the same thing Sis. Karen, the mind does weird things with sleep deprivation.
I actually did know the answer to both of these!!! it is scary some of the morbid things we teach our children. Lynn I was also told the Ashes Ashes was because they burned the city where the plague was and then it all fail down.
How 'bout "London Bridges"?
You are all wrong. Ring Around the Rosies is simply a children's song. That's it.
Several years ago someone came up with some over complicated meaning to keep people who have nothing better to do or talk about trying to figure out what it means. Think of a poetry class where you learn your favorite poem is about incest- or something similar.
Don't be so easily fooled. :o)
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