Hot cross buns!

What’s the first song you learned to play when learning music? Looking back to the “tonette”, a plastic musical instrument similar to an ocarina, it was ‘hot cross buns’. I had to do it on the flute after that. So boring, musically! But … what about the song?

After reading a bit of Wiki, I asked bing to summarize:

“Hot Cross Buns” is an English song that started as a street cry used by bun sellers in the open-air markets, mainly in the 19th century. The song refers to the spiced English confection known as a hot cross bun, which is associated with the end of Lent and is traditionally eaten on Good Friday2.

The song was first published in the “Christmas Box” in London in 1798. However, the earliest record of some iteration of the song dates back to the 1700s. During the 18th century, there was no standard version of the rhyme, which was sung on Good Friday to accompany the selling of the buns. The most common modern version is:

Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns!

One a penny, two a penny,

Hot cross buns!

If you have no daughters,

Give them to your sons.

One a penny, two a penny,

Hot cross buns!

If your sons don’t like them,

They’re the only ones,

One a penny,

Two a penny,

Hot cross buns.

Get them while they’re hot

and eat them by the ton,

One a penny,

Two a penny,

Hot cross buns.

In 1592, Queen Elizabeth I decreed that hot cross buns could no longer be sold on any day except for Good Friday, Christmas, or for burials. They were considered too special to be eaten any other day. This decree was issued during the reign of Elizabeth I of England by the London Clerk of Markets.

The lyrics “one ha’penny, two ha’penny” in the song “Hot Cross Buns” refer to the cost of the buns. The phrase “one a penny, two a penny” means that you can buy one bun for a penny or two buns for a penny, indicating a deal or discount if you buy more.

The first definite record of hot cross buns comes from a London street cry: “Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs. With one or two a penny hot cross buns”, which appeared in Poor Robin’s Almanac for 1733

Dubious logic?

I also asked for an explanation of the ‘one ha-penny’, i.e. one halfpenny price for the buns, and got a rather anodyne explanation – it’s age-old marketing, the ML sentence-generator contends. Can we say ‘contends?’

Suppression!

Even before we have a historical record of the song, though, the sale of the buns was suppressed. Too special to be eaten on non religious days. Is it time to pull out the special HTMX cup and toast the new year? Almost!

--- title: "Buns Sales Suppressed in History!" author: "George Girton" date: "2023-12-31" categories: [Wordle, Music] image: "Wordle4SpicyAngerDonutThree.png" execute: cache: true code-fold: show draft: false --- # Hot cross buns! ![Wordle Guesses to mirror 'hot cross buns', spicy anger donut, get it? tee hee ha!](Wordle4SpicyAngerDonutThree.png) What's the first song you learned to play when learning music? Looking back to the "tonette", a plastic musical instrument similar to an ocarina, it was 'hot cross buns'. I had to do it on the flute after that. So boring, musically! But ... what about the song? After reading a bit of Wiki, I asked bing to summarize: > "Hot Cross Buns" is an English song that started as a street cry used by bun sellers in the open-air markets, mainly in the 19th century. The song refers to the spiced English confection known as a hot cross bun, which is associated with the end of Lent and is traditionally eaten on Good Friday2. > > The song was first published in the "Christmas Box" in London in 1798. However, the earliest record of some iteration of the song dates back to the 1700s. During the 18th century, there was no standard version of the rhyme, which was sung on Good Friday to accompany the selling of the buns. The most common modern version is: > > Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns! > > One a penny, two a penny, > > Hot cross buns! > > If you have no daughters, > > Give them to your sons. > > One a penny, two a penny, > > Hot cross buns! > > If your sons don't like them, > > They're the only ones, > > One a penny, > > Two a penny, > > Hot cross buns. > > Get them while they're hot > > and eat them by the ton, > > One a penny, > > Two a penny, > > Hot cross buns. > > In 1592, Queen Elizabeth I decreed that hot cross buns could no longer be sold on any day except for Good Friday, Christmas, or for burials. They were considered too special to be eaten any other day. This decree was issued during the reign of Elizabeth I of England by the London Clerk of Markets. > > The lyrics "one ha'penny, two ha'penny" in the song "Hot Cross Buns" refer to the cost of the buns. The phrase "one a penny, two a penny" means that you can buy one bun for a penny or two buns for a penny, indicating a deal or discount if you buy more. > > The first definite record of hot cross buns comes from a London street cry: "Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs. With one or two a penny hot cross buns", which appeared in Poor Robin's Almanac for 1733 ## Dubious logic? I also asked for an explanation of the 'one ha-penny', i.e. one halfpenny price for the buns, and got a rather anodyne explanation -- it's age-old marketing, the ML sentence-generator contends. Can we say 'contends?' ## Suppression! Even before we have a historical record of the song, though, the sale of the buns was suppressed. Too special to be eaten on non religious days. Is it time to pull out the special HTMX cup and toast the new year? Almost! ![HTMX laser bison of peace](htmx_laser_bison.png)