3/22

Day of Fools

by Pam North

American humorist Mark Twain defined it well - "The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year."
April Fools' Day (also called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on April 1, and is a fun day with its practical jokes. It is not a public holiday in any country except Odessa, Ukraine, where April 1 is an official city holiday. Although the day has been celebrated for several centuries, its exact origins remain a mystery.
Some believe it evolved in several cultures from celebrations involving the first day of spring. Ancient cultures, including those of the Romans and Hindus, celebrated New Year's Day on or around April 1, closely following the vernal equinox (March 20 or March 2). In medieval times, much of Europe celebrated March 25 as the beginning of the new year, and many different cultures have had days of foolishness around the beginning of April. The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25, the Hindu calendar has Holi, and the Jewish calendar has Purim. It simply may be the turn of winter to spring that inspires lighthearted celebrations.
Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1, continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1, and became the butt of jokes. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe. One problem with this explanation is that it doesn't fully account for the spread of April Fools' Day to other European countries. The Gregorian Calendar was not adopted by England until 1752, but April Fools' Day was already well-established there by then. The earliest recorded association between April 1 and foolishness can be found in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392), which predates the calendar change theory.
In France and Italy, children and adults traditionally tape paper fish on the backs of their schoolmates  as a trick, shouting "April fish!" ("poisson d'avril!" and "pesce d'aprile!" in French and Italian respectively). French-speaking areas of Canada also follow the tradition, which comes from the fact that a young naive fish is easily caught.
In Denmark and Sweden, May 1 is known as "Maj-kat", meaning "May-cat", and is also a joking day. The Flemish tradition is for children to lock out their parents or teachers, only letting them in if they promise to bring treats the same evening or the next day.
In Poland, April 1 is a day full of jokes, and serious activities are usually avoided. The day's connection to levity is so strong that the anti-Turkish alliance with Leopold I, signed on April 1, 1683, was backdated to March 31.
In Scotland, April Fools' Day is celebrated for two days, the second of which is devoted to pranks involving the posterior region of the body. It is called Taily Day and  the "Kick Me" sign can be traced  to this Scottish observance.
In England, jokes are played only in the morning, and it is considered back luck to play a practical joke on someone after noon. The victim of a joke is called a “noodle”.
In Portugal, April Fools' Day falls on the Sunday and Monday before Lent, and to celebrate many people throw flour at their friends.
In India, the Huli Festival is celebrated on March 31, and people smear colors on one another to celebrate the arrival of spring.
Iranians  play jokes on each other on the 13th day of the Persian new year (Norouz), which falls on April 1 or April 2.
Under the Josean dynasty of Korea, the royal family and courtiers were allowed to lie and fool each other, regardless of their hierarchy, on the first snowy day of the year. They would stuff snow inside     bowls, sending them to the victims of the prank with fake excuses. The recipient of the snow was thought to be a loser in the game, and had to grant a wish of the sender.
In South Korea, Japan, Russia, Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, Ireland, and the U.S., the jokes last all day. In some countries such as Canada, New Zealand, UK, Australia, Cyprus, and South Africa, the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an "April Fool" and taunted.
While there is no direct historical evidence to explain exactly how April Fools' Day originated, what is certain is that the custom of prank-playing on the first day of April evolved and endured over time. The tradition eventually spread in Europe, and was introduced to the American colonies by the English and the French.
While not a national holiday anywhere, April Fools' Day has become an international fun fest in scope, with different nationalities specializing in their own brand of humor at the expense of their friends and families, marking the day with good-humored jokes or funny hoaxes of varying sophistication. Most April Fool jokes are in good fun and not meant to harm anyone. 
Pranks staged on April Fools' Day range from the simple to the elaborate, and generally involve making the victim believe something that isn't true. Practical jokes include sending someone on a "fool's errand" to look for things that don't exist, and trying to get people to believe ridiculous things. Setting a roommate's alarm clock back an hour is a common gag, as is pointing down to a friend's shoe and saying that his shoelace is untied, or putting salt in the sugar bowl. Whatever the trick, when the innocent victim falls for the joke the prankster yells, "April Fool!"
The news media even gets involved. Many small newspapers concoct fake articles for that date's edition, and an April Fools' Day British short film was once shown that was a special documentary about "spaghetti farmers" and how they harvest their crop from the spaghetti trees.
The most clever April Fool joke is the one where everyone laughs, especially the person upon whom the joke is played.
April Fools' Day is a simple, fun little holiday, but one must beware of the likelihood that the next joke may be on you!

(Sources: Wikipedia and History.com)