Today is the first day of April, and as such April Fools’ Day. But what are the origins of this day on which people are the butt of practical jokes and pranks? Why April 1?
Well, this article does not promise to furnish you with all the answers, but we will do our best (and that’s not a prank!).
How and Where Did It Start?
Though no one can say for a certainty that they know how it started, but the custom of setting aside a day for the playing of harmless pranks upon one’s neighbor is recognized everywhere. Some forms in which April Fools’ Day was celebrated in ancient times include the Roman festival of Hilaria, the Holi festival of India and the Feast of Fools.
Observances Around the World
April Fools’ Day is observed throughout the Western world. Practices include sending someone on a fool’s errand, looking for things that do not exist, playing pranks, and trying to get people to believe ridiculous things.
France: The French, and other parts of the world where French is spoken call April 1 Poisson d’Avril, or April Fish. French children sometimes tape a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates, crying Poisson d’Avril when the prank is discovered.
United Kingdom: People in the UK and in countries whose traditions are derived from the UK, like Nigeria, the joking ceases at midday. And the person playing a joke after midday is the April fool themselves.
United States of America: Here, the jokes can go on all day.
Ireland: In Ireland, it was traditional to entrust the victim with an important letter to be given to a named person. That person would then ask the victim to take it to someone else, and so on. The letter when finally opened contained the words “send the fool further”.
People playing April Fool jokes reveal their prank by shouting April Fool when someone falls for their trick, and it is also known as All Fools’ Day.
Have You Been Fooled?
There have been lots of jokes played on TV, radio and in the newspapers for April Fools’ Day – and lots of people have fallen for them.
One TV prank in 1957 included a BBC news programme which made viewers believe that spaghetti was grown on trees, and an incredibly high number of people thought it was true, even calling the BBC for more inquiries!
And in 1983, a Professor of History at Boston University sought to explain the origin of April Fool’s Day, which he explained thus:
The practice began during the reign of the Roman Emperor, Constantine, when a group of court jesters and fools told him that they could do a better job of running the empire.
Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be Emperor for one day. Kugel, in turn passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the custom became an annual event.
In a way, it was a very serious day, because in those times, fools were really wise men; as it was the role of jesters to put things in perspective with humour.
But it wasn’t until a couple of weeks later that the Associated Press (which carried the story), and other newspapers who had copied it realised that the explanation was a hoax, and Professor Boskin had made it all up! They had been victims of an April Fools’ joke themselves!!
Seeing that it is past midday already, you can rest assure that this story is not a prank, or is it?