gam@amdahl.UUCP (Gordon A. Moffett) (10/14/84)
> scc!steiny Don Steiny - Personetics @ (408) 425-0382 > > ...The darling ryhme: > > Ring around the rosie > Pockets full of Posies. > Ashes, ashes, all fall down. > > Is a reference to the bubonic plauge. The plauge caused red circles to > appear on the skin. Posies were considered a charm to ward off the > plauge, and victims were burned to ashes. I heard that the "ashes" were in reference to making a mark on the forehead with ashes, another charm to ward off the Plague. (Certainly they would have had a lot of human ashes, though). -- Gordon A. Moffett ...!{ihnp4,hplabs,amd,nsc}!amdahl!gam [ Only these only are only my only opinions, only. Thank you. ]
ljdickey@watmath.UUCP (Lee Dickey) (10/18/84)
>> ...The darling ryhme: >> >> Ring around the rosie >> Pockets full of Posies. >> Ashes, ashes, all fall down. >> >> Is a reference to the bubonic plauge. The plauge caused red circles to >> appear on the skin. Posies were considered a charm to ward off the >> plauge, and victims were burned to ashes. > > I heard that the "ashes" were in reference to making a mark on the > forehead with ashes, another charm to ward off the Plague. Ashes seems to be a variation of "ah-choo". Sneezing is one of the symptoms of the plague. English children pronounce the last line differently from American children, saying "Ah-choo, ah-choo, all fall down".