Post by Rhonda on Jan 3, 2006 23:16:00 GMT -5
FYI
A LESSON IN HISTORY
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the
watertemperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used
to
be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in
May,
and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to
smell,
so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.
Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house
had
the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men,
then
the women and finally the children - last of all the babies.
By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.
Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood
underneath.
It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and
other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof.
When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip
and
fall off the roof.
Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed
a
real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really
mess
up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and asheet hung over
the
top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into
existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt.
Hence
the saying "dirt poor."
The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when
wet,
so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing.
As
the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when you opened
the
door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in
the
entranceway.
Hence the saying a "thresh hold." (Getting quite an education, aren't
you?)
In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that
always
hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added
things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat.
They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get
cold
overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food
in
it that had been there for quite a while.
Hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge
in
the pot nine days old."
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special.
When
visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a
sign of wealth that a man could "bring home the bacon." They would cut
off a
little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content
caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning
and
death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years
or
so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of
the
loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or "upper
crust."
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would
sometimes
knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the
road
would take them for dead and prepare them for burial.They were laid out
on
the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather
around
and eat and drink and wait and see if they
would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake."
England is old and small and the local folks started running out of
places
to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to
a
"bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of
25
coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized
they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a
string
on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through
the
ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the
graveyard
all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, someone
could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer."
And that's the truth... Now , whoever said that History was boring!
Educate someone...Share these facts with a friend...
Aren't you glad you live in this era?
A LESSON IN HISTORY
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the
watertemperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used
to
be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in
May,
and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to
smell,
so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.
Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house
had
the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men,
then
the women and finally the children - last of all the babies.
By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.
Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood
underneath.
It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and
other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof.
When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip
and
fall off the roof.
Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed
a
real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really
mess
up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and asheet hung over
the
top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into
existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt.
Hence
the saying "dirt poor."
The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when
wet,
so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing.
As
the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when you opened
the
door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in
the
entranceway.
Hence the saying a "thresh hold." (Getting quite an education, aren't
you?)
In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that
always
hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added
things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat.
They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get
cold
overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food
in
it that had been there for quite a while.
Hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge
in
the pot nine days old."
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special.
When
visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a
sign of wealth that a man could "bring home the bacon." They would cut
off a
little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content
caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning
and
death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years
or
so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of
the
loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or "upper
crust."
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would
sometimes
knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the
road
would take them for dead and prepare them for burial.They were laid out
on
the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather
around
and eat and drink and wait and see if they
would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake."
England is old and small and the local folks started running out of
places
to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to
a
"bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of
25
coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized
they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a
string
on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through
the
ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the
graveyard
all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, someone
could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer."
And that's the truth... Now , whoever said that History was boring!
Educate someone...Share these facts with a friend...
Aren't you glad you live in this era?