Question by Marilyn B: Ever dance around the Maypole in kindergarden? I found out it was a pagan phallic symbol. More funny stories?
In my kindergarden class in the mid 50’s, it was tradition to invite all the parents to come see us perform a Spring festival whereby we danced around a giant Maypole while holding onto paper streamers. I found out years later that this was really a pagan fertility ritual. To this day, I’m surprised that this wasn’t common knowledge, frowned upon, and, ultimately, suspended. Anyone else have some funny stories from kindergarden?
Best answer:
Answer by quatrapiller
Halloween is a Christian protest of a pagan holiday. That’s why we dress up in costumes – to ward off the spirits on “all Hallow’s Eve”.
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We have all heard and sang along with the childhood songs such as Humpty Dumpty and London Bridge. We have even incorporated them into dance and plays. I just found out recently that Humpty Dumpty portrays Europes condition after World War I. It is funny to look at all the nursery rhymes and sing alongs and see where they have derived from and for what reason and hidden messages. I imagine if we were to know, they would not be as fun!
A lot of children’s songs and nursery rhymes really have double meanings. For example, remember the song Ring around the Rosey? That song was really about the bubonic plague.
Ring Around the Rosey ( referred to the black circles people with the plague would get around their necks and elsewhere)
Pocket Full of Poesy ( Poesy was an herb or plant that people would put in their pockets to ward off the black death, or the bubonic plague)
Ashes Ashes ( The bodies of the dead were burned )
We all fall down! ( We all fall DEAD! )
Scary isn’t it? There are many others like this, but this is the only one I can remember in full detail.
As a child in the 50s, you possibly saw ‘Punch & Judy’, which is also based on pagan characters which have been adapted. Hobby Horses, the Harvest Festival, Halloween (as already mentioned) and many other festival activities are linked to original pagan worship. The church adopted these to teach their message through the old ways.