The origins of April Fool’s Day, as with many things
that have survived for centuries, exact beginnings are a bit of mystery. It is
agreed that the holiday has been celebrated in some form for at least 2000
years. Sorry Hallmark you don’t get to
claim this one.
Some historians say it began in Ancient Rome and was inspired by the
Egyptian legend of Isis, Osiris, and Seth.
It was the festivals such as Hilaria (Latin for joyful), at
the end of March. People dressed in
disguises mocked fellow citizens and even magistrates. This was probably around the time the world
was switching from BC to AD.
Others
say it started in France with their calendar change. The French were supposed
to switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in 1563 but never got
around to it until 1582. New Year
according to the Julian / Hindu calendar was celebrated on the Spring equinox
around April 1st.
But
then as in now, people were slow to believe Facebook posts and continued to celebrate it during the last
week of March through April 1. These
people were made fun of by having paper fish placed on their backs and referred
to as “Poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught
fish and a gullible person.
There’s also reason to
believe that April Fools’ Day was tied to the vernal equinox or the first day
of spring. This is when Mother Nature
fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather. For one must always have a sun hat, umbrella,
shorts, and sweater handy.
April
Fools did not make it to Britain until around the 18th century when
it was a two-day event. The
event started with “hunting the gowk,” People were sent on phony errands (gowk
is a word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which
involved pranks played on people’s derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or
“kick me” signs on them.
Modern Day April Fools’
Pranks
I think this one is my favorite. You have to watch the YouTube video. In 1957, the BBC reported that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees. I wonder if I could grow such a tree in my yard and is it possible to get a gluten-free variety?
In 1998, after Burger King advertised a “Left-Handed Whopper,” scores of clueless customers requested the fake sandwich. Oh yes, please. Being left-handed myself, eating the Right-Handed sandwich is such a pain.
Brazil - known as the dia da mentira,
or “day of the lie,”. News outlets will put out ridiculous headlines with false
claims, and many individuals will tell white lies to each other to fool or
prank their friends.
Greece - there are several beliefs around April
Fools’ pranks, the first being that if you can trick someone, you’ll have good
luck all year long. Other beliefs are that successful tricksters will enjoy a
good year of crops and that the water from rainfall on April 1 has healing
abilities.
For more of the world’s best hoaxes throughout time, check out the
Museum of Hoaxes at the link below.
However, if you need a dinosaur hunting license you will have to go to
Utah to get one in person.
http://hoaxes.org/
References:
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/april-fools-day
https://www.britannica.com/topic/April-Fools-Day
https://www.insider.com/how-april-fools-day-is-celebrated-in-11-countries-around-the-world-2017
Comments
Post a Comment