See this link for more info:
http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.htm
--sue
lace-chat-digest wrote:
Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 08:43:56 +0100 From: dominique <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [lace-chat] EWWWWWW.....
"The nursery rhyme "Ring Around the Rosey" is a rhyme about the plague. Infected people with the plague would get red circular sores ("Ring around the rosey"), these sores would smell very badly so common folks would put flowers on their bodies somewhere (inconspicuously), so that it would cover the smell of the sores ("a pocket full of posies"). Further- more, people who died from the plague would be burned so as to reduce the possible spread of the disease ("ashes, ashes, we all fall down"). "
got this from Trivia Today .
dominique from paris ..
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Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 08:15:44 -0000 From: "Jean Nathan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [lace-chat] EWWWWWW
Dominique wrote:
<Further- more, people who died from the plague would be burned so as to reduce the possible spread of the disease ("ashes, ashes, we all fall down"). " >
I was brought up with this line being "Atichoo! Atichoo! We all fall down.", which, without thinking why, I'd always assumed was sneezing before dying. I can't imagine why people would sneeze with the plague though.
I don't know if countries other than England had the plague, but here at least bodies weren't burnt; they were thrown into large holes, known as plague pits. Plague pits are being uncovered today by archaeologists.
Jean in Poole
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Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 11:24:41 -0000 From: "Edith Holmes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [lace-chat] EWWWWWW.....
I live fairly near to Eyam, the plague village in Derbyshire. One of their leaflets says the following
"Ring-a-ring of roses, A pocket full of posies, Atishoo, atishoo, We all fall down.
This children's nursery rhyme is a reminder of the plague. The ring of roses refers to the body rash : the pocket full of posies were the nosegays or bunches of herbs carried to ward off the disease. The sneezing was a symptom of the disease which, once caught, would lead to falling down dead"
Hope this helps
Edith North Nottinghamshire [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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