By: Andrea Ketis
Introduction
April Fools’ Day is the custom of playing practical jokes on friends and family, with the yelling of “April Fools!” at the end to explain the prank. In many countries, it occurs annually on April 1.
Potential Origins
The exact origin of this event remains a mystery. Many historians speculate that April Fools’ Day originated in the 1500s, in France, when Charles IX decreed that the new year would not begin on April 1 (as per the Julian calendar), but on January 1 (following the Gregorian calendar). People who were not informed of the change in calendar, and continued to celebrate the new year in April, were called “April fools”.
April Fools’ Day also shares similarities with centuries-old festivals. The first is Hilaria (the Latin term for “joyful”), which was celebrated in Ancient Rome, every March 25. It involved wearing disguises and mocking fellow citizens, and was inspired by the Egyptian legend of Isis, Osiris, and Seth. The second festival is Holi, the Hindu spring festival celebrated on the day of Phalguna (between February and March).
Historians have also pointed out the close timing between April Fools’ Day and the vernal equinox (the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere). During the equinox, weather patterns are unstable as the seasons change from winter to spring. Many believe that the unpredictable weather was Mother Nature’s attempt at a prank.
Spread of April Fools’ Day
In the eighteenth century, April Fools’ Day began to be celebrated in Britain.
In Scotland, the tradition became a two-day event. The first day was known as Gowkie Day or Hunt the Gowk, where the term “gowk” refers to a cuckoo bird and can be used to describe a fool. An unsuspecting individual would be sent on a phoney errand, often delivering a sealed “important letter”, which would read “Dinna laugh, an’ dinna smile. But hunt the gowk another mile.” Now in on the joke, the receiver would send the messenger away and to someone else. The messenger would visit several homes before realizing it was a trick. The second day was Tailie Day, where pranks involved pinning paper tails on others.
Back in France, the fooled person is referred to as poisson d’avril (“April Fish”). It had been common for French children to stick small paper fish to the backs of their friends.
Notable Pranks
By the twentieth century, newspapers, and radio and television stations began to take part in April Fools’ Day by pulling pranks on their audiences. A few notable examples are the following.
In 1957, the BBC reported that farmers in Switzerland had managed to grow crops of spaghetti. Newspapers included photos of people collecting noodles from trees. In 2008, the BBC managed to fool its audience once more with its Miracles of Evolution video, showcasing special penguins which had regained the ability to fly. This false story was published in both The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mirror in Britain.
In 1985, writer George Plimpton from Sports Illustrated ran a false article about a pitcher named Sidd Finch, who could throw a fastball one hundred and sixty-eight miles per hour.
In 1998, the Burger King restaurant chain announced that it had developed a left-handed burger. It was advertised as having all the ingredients rotated one hundred and eighty degrees so that it was more comfortable for left-handed people to eat. The next day, on April 2, Burger King admitted to the prank.
Conclusion
Even though it is not an official holiday, April Fools’ Day is celebrated annually worldwide and is filled with practical jokes and laughter.