Ring Around the Rosie



                   When you hear the words “Ring Around the Rosie…” you probably think of children holding hands in a circle, turning slowly while singing the song, then collapsing in a giggling heap at its conclusion. Just another innocent and meaningless rhyme, right?   Wrong, not even close.

I was very surprised when I found out how dark and depressing, "Ring Around the Rosie," actually is. The song is about the Bubonic Plague.

Ring Around the Rosie

When a person contracted the Bubonic Plague, they would gain rose-colored, puss-filled sores on their body called rosies. As the infection spread, rings would wind around the rosies. "Ring Around the Rosie" refers to these rings.

Pocket Full of Posies

During the time of the Bubonic Plague, people realized that it was harmful to go around the body of someone who had died from the plague. The common practice in Europe was to fill the jacket pocket of the deceased with posies so that others would know to leave the body alone.

"Pocket full of posies," was what would soon happen after the person started getting the rings around the rosie. Once the rings started to form, the undertaker would be called to prepare the posies.

Ashes Ashes

Once the body of the person who had died from the plague had been taken away, it would be burned.

We All Fall Down

By now, this one should need little explanation...

 

It was believed by many that ultimately the Bubonic Plague would wipe out all of civilization. It is understandable why they had this belief due to the number of people dying every day from the Plague. It was nearly impossible for anyone to not know at least one person who died from the Plague at the time.