April Fool’s Day is a widely celebrated informal holiday celebrated in the U.S. and numerous other western cultures. On this day young people and adults alike play harmless jokes on one another throughout the day and yell “April Fools!”after playing a successful trick on someone. This holiday has gained even larger appeal with the availability of modern forms of communication as pranks are now often performed by radio shows, newspapers, news reports, and various large organizations. One of the most notorious of these large public pranks was a BBC news report regarding a Swiss tree that allegedly grew spaghetti. The enormous number of people seeking more information from the BBC on where to buy these spaghetti plants caused the company to publicly declare the hoax in efforts to stop the influx of calls from gullible members of the public.
Despite the popularity of this prank-filled holiday across Europe and the US, its origins are mysterious. The most common explanation for the holiday dates back to the 16th century when King George of France changed the calendar from the first day of the year starting in April 1st to having it start on January 1st. Because of a lack of mass communication many rural peasants still celebrated the New Year in April 1st years after the official change causing them to be considered “fools”. Another possible explanation is that the holiday has origins in the old Roman holiday Hilaria named after the god if humor that was once celebrated on the 25th of March every year. The old Roman Festival of Fools is another similar holiday celebrated on the 28th of December. In Spain, a similar holiday of pranks is still commonly celebrated in this date in December. In Iran during the festival of Nowruz the last day, usually falling on April 1st or 2nd, is a day of pranks as well. In Belgium, France, and French-speaking European countries April Fools day is known as “April Fish”. The most common prank on this day in these countries is to attach a paper fish to a victim’s back without being noticed. In Denmark, Sweden, Poland, and across the U.K. various pranks, especially in the media, are performed on this day as well. For some April Fools Day pranks common in the U.S. for you to try out yourself check out http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5050826 and don’t forget to watch your back today!
What’s your favorite April Fools Day prank? Have you ever heard of this holiday in other countries? We want to know!
