Happy Day of the Fool!

Yes, it’s the first of April, the day of the fool. But why is April 1^st known as April Fool’s Day? Why do we play practical jokes or pull pranks today? I have two April Fools in my family. Both my husband and his mother celebrate their birthday today. Why is it considered unfortunate to be born on 1^st April? Let’s find out.

Why the First Day of April?

Last week, I wrote about the new year being celebrated on 25^th March until 1562 for most Europeans, and 1752 for the British and its colonies. The New Year’s celebrations lasted about a week until 1^st April. When the calendar changed the new year to start on 1^st January, those still celebrating using the old New Year’s Day were labelled as “April Fools”.

The timing may also be associated with the vernal equinox (two moments in the year when the Sun is exactly above the Equator and day and night are of equal length — March 21st is one in the Northern Hemisphere). On those days, people are supposedly fooled by the sudden changes in the weather.

It’s clear why those born on April 1^st are deemed unlucky to be associated with being gullible.

The History of April Fool’s Day

Different cultures have celebrated April Fool’s Day, AKA All Fool’s Day, across the globe for centuries, but no one seems to know exactly when it started. The Ancient Roman celebration of Hilaria (25th March) and the Holi celebration in India, which ends on March 31, incorporate themes of playing jokes and mockery.

According to History.com, in France, those who followed the old calendar became the butt of jokes, and people played pranks on them. One example was putting a paper fish on their back and calling them “poisson d’avril” (April fish) which symbolised a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.

April Fool’s Day grew in popularity over the eighteenth century and became a two-day event in Scotland. 1^st April is known as the “day of the Gowk”. Gowk is the word for cuckoo, a symbol of the cuckold or fool. The following day is called Tailie Day, when pranks such as pinning tails to others or kicking their backsides are popular.

Fool’s Day Pranks

I’m not one for pranks. I’m useless at performing them. Something always goes wrong. I can tolerate a prank against me, just do nothing that gets me wet or dirty. Erm… maybe I’m not great at being pranked either. 🤔

There have been some great pranks pulled over the years.

• On 29^th March 1708, satirist Jonathan Swift published a eulogy under a fake name announcing that famous astrologer, John Partridge—whom he called a “cobbler, Starmonger and Quack”—had died. Swift claimed Partridge admitted on his deathbed that he was a fraud. When Partridge ventured out on 1^st April people stared at him in surprise and confusion. (😬 IMO you were cruel, Mr Swift.) 
• The BBC reported Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop in 1957 and showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees. 😊
• Students in São Paulo, Brazil, who were tired of the city’s overflowing sewers and inflated prices, launched a campaign in 1959 to elect a rhinoceros to the city council—and won. 😀
• In 1996, Taco Bell, the US fast-food restaurant chain, announced it had agreed to purchase Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and intended to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell. 😁

Tame in comparison, I remember a newspaper once printed the first page twice when I was a child. Do you recall a famous prank? Have you pulled any spectacular pranks? Let me know in the comments and have a fun day of the fool.