Ring around a Rosie probably wasn’t about the bubonic plague (1 Viewer)

[Ahsoka]

It’s commonly believed that the child’s rhyme “Ring Around the Rosie” is referring to the Black Death that occurred in Europe in the 1300s. However, there hasn’t been any evidence to prove this link. The first known records referring to the rhyme at all are from the 1800s, and the explanation of the rhyme being about the Black Death didn’t appear until after WW2. Lyrics have also changed based on time and place. So while the origin of the the rhyme isn’t fully known, and we can’t definitively say where and when it’s from, it’s extremely unlikely that it was inspired by the Black Death.

But don’t fear. I’ve got a children’s rhyme that is about a pandemic This one is a much clearer connection and more recent. The rhyme is a jump rope rhyme that goes as follows: “I had a little bird and her name was Enza, I opened up my window and in flew Enza”. It dates back to the Spanish Flu of 1918. This one doesn’t really need an explanation, and wouldn't seem as cool to hear about as Ring Around the Rosie, but hey, this one’s actually about a pandemic. So that’s a thing

 

[Ahsoka]

General tag:
@athenarose @Lexie @Nyaz @Dreamer_of_Songs @Yachii @Nina @pinkmelodies @velvet @AmericanMindset @ChuuAntics @Chiara

 

[StirFriedPanda]

It's more fun if it's about the plague and a large portion of the worlds population dieing off. I'm sticking with that.

 

[Ahsoka]

It's more fun if it's about the plague and a large portion of the worlds population dieing off. I'm sticking with that.

I guess it depends on what you consider a large portion, but it’s probably more accurate to say the European and Middle Eastern population because most other places were affected minimally or not at all By percentage of the world it was still not small, but vastly different from Europe and the Middle East

 

[Yerichu]

Wow, that's surprising to say the least especially even when the rhyme itself doesn't fit in with the stanza but I can see that timing does play a strong role with this explanation. That's something new i didn't know of

 

[dark_tranquility]

I remember hearing about this.

it is fascinating and disturbing

 

[athenaaa]

I like the play on words

 

[pinkmelodies]

I definitely needed to hear that debunked

 

[centen]

My disappointment is immeasurable, but I'm glad for my replacement children's rhyme.

 

[Chohee_nyang]

So it was ring around the Rosie ohhh... I thought it was Ringa Ringa Rosie...

 

[ChiaraStar169]

that's interesting!