Did someone tape a “kick me” sign on your back or give you a
bug in an ice cube? Everyone at some point or other has been at the butt end of
a practical joke on April Fool's Day. What would possess people to dedicate one
day of the year of pulling practical jokes on one another? The origins of April
Fools Day are interesting and expand far beyond America. From the United
States, to New Zealand, to England and France, to as far away as Australia and
Iran, people look forward to the holiday of jokes. Indeed, it is an
international tradition that dates back to the BC years.
April Fool's Day of pranks may date back to 536 BC, the thirteenth
day of the Persian War, which was either April 1 or April 2. On this day, the
Iranians have a festivity of pranks.
But perhaps the April Fool's Day holiday did not start to gain “official
recognition” until the reign of Charles IX. During this time, France switched
from the Roman calendar, which celebrated New Years from the last week of March
to April 1, to the Gregorian calendar, which denoted January 1 as New Years.
Since communication was a bit slow back then, those who didn’t catch on became
the butt end of jokes. They were often sent on “fool’s errands” or invited to
parties that didn’t exist. The victims became known as poissond'avril,
or
literally April Fish. This referred to baby fish, easily caught or more
gullible than the player of the joke.
It
is interesting to note that the infamous “Kick me” sign originated in Scotland
with spoofs of the rear-end indicating April Fool's Day trending in society. The holiday is known as April Gowk, also known as
cookoo bird. In Portugal, the jokes take a turn, with people throwing flour at
their friends on the Sunday and Monday before Lent.
So you are HAPPY April Fool's Day, Are you not?
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