Ring around the Rosie

"Ring Around the Rosie" is a children's nursery rhyme and playground song that originated in England. The rhyme is often associated with a circular game where children hold hands and dance in a circle. Its lyrics are thought to reference the Great Plague of 1665, with “rosie” referring to the rash caused by the disease, and “pocket full of posies” suggesting flowers carried to ward off illness. “Ashes, ashes” is sometimes interpreted as a nod to the deaths that occurred. While often seen as a simple children's game, the rhyme carries darker historical connotations related to disease and mortality.