Heavy, heavy hangover thy poor head
Posted by R on December
30, 1999
When I was a child every time a birthday was celebrated in our
neighborhood, the birthday child would sit on a chair. The guests
would take turns standing behind them and chant the rhyme, "Heavy,
heavy hangover thy poor head, what do you wish this person with
a bump on the head?" and as they said the word "bump" they would
bonk the birthday child on the head with the gift they had brought.
The birthday child would then 'wish' the giver something, usually
something unattainable, like a horse or a swimming pool and proceed
to open the gift. We performed this ritual all the time and only when I went away
to college did I find it was considered strange. in fact, I have
never found any one else who has even heard of a similar tradition. any suggestions as the origin of this phrase and ritual?
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