National Pop Goes The Weasel Day is enjoyed by many on June 14. This day celebrates the nursery rhyme that we all have been singing since we were kids. It has been around for almost 300 years now. This day is a great throwback to those childhood memories. Not many would know that the rhyme was a comment on the social-political scenario during that era and the poverty that people had to endure.
History of National Pop Goes The Weasel Day
The ‘Pop Goes The Weasel’ rhyme originated in the 1700s. It mentions the Eagle Tavern, also known as the Eagle Freehold Pub, which is situated on London’s City Road. The pub was shut down and turned into a music room in 1825 until 1901 when it was rebuilt as a public house and still exists to date.
A boat called Pop Goes The Weasel took part in the Durham Regatta way back in June of 1852. In the same year, in December, the rhyme rose to public prominence. It was referred to as a social dance in and around England. In Ipswich, a country dance ended with this rhyme on December 13, 1852. Soon afterward, on December 24, 1852, the rhyme was introduced to the royalty and their private soirees. By December 28, 1852, it started being included in publications and was being advertised throughout England.
At first, it was just a tune, and only later the lyrics were added. It even crossed the Atlantic Ocean and went from England to America in the late 1850s. The rhyme soon became popular there as well, although the words were still British to an extent. Therefore U.S. lyrics were written to be slightly different from the original, however, the rhyme retained the same tune.
National Pop Goes The Weasel Day timeline
The ‘Pop Goes The Weasel’ nursery rhyme originates.
Eagle Freehold Pub is turned into a music house.
Eagle Freehold Pub is demolished and rebuilt into a public house.
The most recent recording of ‘Pop Goes The Weasel’ is released to the public.
National Pop Goes The Weasel Day FAQs
What does “the monkey chased the weasel” mean?
The monkey chasing after the weasel is said to symbolize having to pawn one’s coat. In that era, ‘weasel’ and ‘stoat’ were cockney slang for the word ‘coat.’ The monkey also symbolized the financial trouble that people, or the country in general, were going through in that era. People would ideally lend their coats on a Monday for money and take them back on a Sunday to wear when they have to go to church.
What does “pop goes the weasel” mean?
“Pop goes the weasel” is said to describe the act of spending all your money just to have some drinks at the pub. So much so that you even have to pawn off your coat throughout the week to make some money.
Who sings ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’?
Songwriters Michael Berrin, John Dajani, Peter Gabriel, John Gamble, Peter Nash, Dante Ross, and Stevie Wonder came together to record ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’ for 3rd Bass’s 1991 album, Derelicts of Dialect.
National Pop Goes The Weasel Day Activities
Impart knowledge
To celebrate this day, go to your nearby bookstore or library and spend some time reading the nursery rhyme. Or find it online and sing it out loud!
Read the rhyme
Have a reading session of the poem with your kids or your friend’s kids or your relative’s kids. This way, they will also learn the rhyme if they don’t already know it.
Learn the history
As the poem is a commentary on the socio-political atmosphere of the time, you can study the history of that era. You can do some research and gain more knowledge about what life used to be like in those times amidst such sordid poverty
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Nursery Rhymes
Song as old as rhyme
Nursery rhymes as we know them date back to the Middle Ages
They were not always called nursery rhymes
Only after Ann and Jane Taylor printed, published, and circulated their book called “Rhymes For The Nursery” in 1806 did the phrase ‘nursery rhymes’ become colloquial.
Shakespeare was a fan
Shakespeare mentions Jack and Jill in “Love’s Labour’s Lost” and in “Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
The first collection of nursery rhymes
The first collection of nursery rhymes in English was “Tommy Thumb’s Song Book,” which was published in 1774.
The first song saved on a computer
In 1951 ‘Baa, Baa, Black Sheep’ became the first song digitally saved and played on a computer.
Why We Love National Pop Goes The Weasel Day
It’s nostalgic
National Pop Goes The Weasel Day helps us go back to our childhood and revisit some memories that we may have not thought about for ages. This day is a nostalgic trip.
It imparts some of your childhood memories
On National Pop Goes The Weasel Day, if you’re reading out the nursery rhyme to your kids or that of your friends and relatives, you’re imparting some of your own childhood memories to them.
It teaches some history
‘Pop Goes The Weasel’ was set in an era where the socio-political nature of the countries wasn’t too good. Everyone was dealing with poverty and on National Pop Goes The Weasel Day you get to learn about the history of that period
National Pop Goes The Weasel Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | June 14 | Friday |
| 2025 | June 14 | Saturday |
| 2026 | June 14 | Sunday |
| 2027 | June 14 | Monday |
| 2028 | June 14 | Wednesday |
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