The "Real" Meaning of Ring Around the Rosie
Although most people will admit to playing that fun-ish preschool game "Ring Around the Rosie," most don't know the game's original meaning. The truth is, it is related to the Black Death! It was sung to make the situation seem happier, but it's pretty creepy, when you think about it. Here's the breakdown, line by line:
Ring around the rosie...--In some plague incidents, a ring appeared around red welts just before death.
a pocket full of posies...--Some people carried around posies and other flowers to ward off the plague, or just get rid of the awful smell.
ashes, ashes...--Bodies were cremated during the later years of the plague, after cemeteries had filled up. This line is alternatively "Atchoo, atchoo!" referring to the sneezing during bubonic plague.
We all fall down!--Many, many people died during Black Death.
a pocket full of posies...--Some people carried around posies and other flowers to ward off the plague, or just get rid of the awful smell.
ashes, ashes...--Bodies were cremated during the later years of the plague, after cemeteries had filled up. This line is alternatively "Atchoo, atchoo!" referring to the sneezing during bubonic plague.
We all fall down!--Many, many people died during Black Death.
Some historians believe that this hidden meaning is just an urban legend, but it does make a lot of sense, since it's considered as fact (even by those doubtful historians) that the rhyme originated around the time when Black Death occurred,
You decide!
You decide!