bhaktajan 0 Report post Posted June 24, 2008 Here is something interesting about the civilized Europeans who came > to the Americas to "civilize" the people here. They must have stunk > since they didn't bathe. They must have wondered at the clay dishes > and wood and stone roofs of the aztecs, algonquians and southwestern > people they invaded. Makes you think... > > > Monday, June 23, 2008 8:56 PM > The 1500s > > > THE 1500'S > > The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the > water temperature 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 hi de 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 > 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 mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a > sheet 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 > floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added > 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 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 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 the > 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 > 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 History was boring ! ! ! > > Educate someone. Share these facts with a friend Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
