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FEATURE: Jest for fun
The first of April, some do say,
Is set apart for All Fools’ Day.
But why the people call it so,
Nor I, nor they themselves do know.
But on this day are people sent
On purpose for pure merriment.
— Poor Robin’s Almanac (1790)
Calling all pranksters out there, the day for general silliness just passed by. What are we referring to? April Fools Day, of course. Throughout the year there are many special days, which we observe with religious reverence, while others are commemorated in order to honour or celebrate a historical or national event. However, April Fools is just one day of the year where everyone has the license to channel their creativity into practical jokes to play on their friends and relatives. Or as Mark Twain put it: “The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.”
The custom of playing practical jokes on first April and sending naive souls on a “fools’ errand” has been around since mediaeval times. However, unlike most of the other non-foolish ‘special days’, the history of April fools’ Day, (sometimes called All fools’ Day), is not completely clear.
One theory is that April Fools began when Charles IX, following the Gregorian calendar, decreed January 1, 1562 as the official New Year instead of the end of March/April 1. Prior to that year, the New Year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25. The celebrations culminated on April 1. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian calendar was introduced, and New Year’s Day was moved to January 1. Now in this story, the dates are disputed, as some sources state that the year of new Gregorian calendar was 1562, while others claim it to be 1582, proving that time maybe the best trickster of all.
However, communications being what they were in those days (Remember this was before CNN or BBC) when news travelled by foot. The news of this change took a while to reach the folks in the country and many people did not receive the news for several years. Others, the more obstinate crowd, refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1. These people became the targets of practical jokes such as foolish gifts or invitations to nonexistent parties. These backward folk were labelled as “fools” by the general populace. They were subject to some ridicule, and were often sent on “fools’ errands” or were made the butt of other practical jokes.
As time went on and the Gregorian calendar was accepted, people continued to enjoy April fooling so much that this harassment evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank-playing on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread from France to England and Scotland where April fooling gained popularity during the eighteenth century. Scottish people enjoyed sending people on foolish errands, like looking for hen’s teeth or pigeon’s milk.
It was later exported to the American colonies with the English and French settlers. Now April fools’ Day has developed into an international “pranks for fun” day, with different people specializing in their own brand of humour at the expense of their friends and families.
April fools’ Day is a “for-fun-only” observance, but it is one day when one must remain forever vigilant, for he may be the next April Fool! Practical jokes are a common practice on April fools’ Day. Pranks performed on this day range from the simple, (such as saying, “There is a spider crawling on your back!”), to the elaborate ones played on friends or relatives that last the entire day. Whatever the prank, the trickster usually ends it by yelling to his victim, “April Fool!”
Sometimes, news media even get involved. For instance, on April 1, 1957 the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) showed on a fairly detailed documentary about “spaghetti farmers” and how they harvest their crop from the spaghetti trees. Anything goes as long as it’s not mean spirited and no one gets hurt! The cleverest April Fool joke is the one where everyone laughs, specially the person upon whom the joke is played.
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