When Did April Fool's Day Begin?

AllardChardon

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When Did April Fool's Day Begin?
Andrea Thompson

Though pranksters and joke-lovers in many countries now gleefully prepare to dupe friends and loved ones on April Fool's Day, no one knows exactly when or why, or even where,this tradition began.

A giddy spurt of practical joking seems to have coincided with the coming of spring since the time of the Ancient Romans and Celts, who celebrated a festival of mischief-making. The first mentions of an All Fool's Day (as it was formerly called) came in Europe in the Middle Ages.

Some trace April Fool's Day back to Roman mythology, particularly the story of Ceres, Goddess of the harvest, and her daughter, Proserpina.

Pluto, God of the Dead, abducted Proserpina and took her to live with him in the underworld. The girl called out to her mother, but Ceres could only hear the echo of her daughter's voice and searched for her in vain.

Such "fool's errands," or wild goose chases, became a popular practical joke in Europe in later centuries.

The most widespread theory of the origin of April Fool's Day is the switch from the old Julian to the Gregorian calendar (now in use) in the late 16th century. Under the Julian calendar, the New Year was celebrated during the week between March 25 and April 1, but under the Gregorian calendar, it was moved to Jan. 1. Those who were not notified of the change, or stubbornly kept to the old tradition, were often mocked and had jokes played on them on or around the old New Year.

In France, this took the form of pranksters sticking fish on the backs of those who celebrated the old custom, earning the victims of the prank the name Poisson d'Avril, or April Fish.

But the theory can't explain why the pranking tradition spread to other countries in Europe that did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until later.

In Scotland, the butts of April Fool's jokes were known as April "Gowks," another name for a cuckoo bird. The origins of the "Kick Me" sign can supposedly be traced back to the Scottish observance of the day.

In more recent times, radio stations, TV programs and Web sites have set up gullible readers and listeners. One of the most notorious jokes was a 1957 hoax BBC documentary of the annual spaghetti harvest in Switzerland, featuring a family plucking strands of the pasta from "spaghetti trees." The Italian favorite was still considered an exotic delicacy in Britain at the time, and many listeners were so fooled they wanted to find out how to get a spaghetti bush of their own.


Yes, this should get a few of us in the mood.
 
I always believed in the switch-to-the-Gregorian-calendar theory about this. It is, however, very interesting to read that there are so many places from which April Fools' Day could have come.
 
"In Scotland, the butts of April Fool's jokes were known as April "Gowks," another name for a cuckoo bird. The origins of the "Kick Me" sign can supposedly be traced back to the Scottish observance of the day."

I never thought about the origins of the Kick Me sign, a favorite any time of the year at my high school on 1966-70. Funny it is a Scottish tradition.

Here are some more a friend shared with me yesterday:

April 1, 1962 - Swedish TV (there was only one black-and-white channel at that point) broadcast a message saying that you could convert your black-and-white TV to color if you put a nylon stocking over it. Thousands of frustrated people called in to complain that the technique didn't work and that they ripped a bunch of stockings.

April 1, 1976 - The BBC reports that the planet Pluto (no longer a planet, R.I.P.) will get behind Jupiter the night of April 1, thereby significantly reducing Earth's gravity. Thousands of people call in to report that they floated up to their ceilings.

April 1, 1977 - The Guardian reports about a beautiful new island called San Serriffe (for non-artists - sans serif is an unadorned typeface). The island has beautiful lagoons, including Upper Caisse and Lower Caissee. Thousands of people call travel agents wanting to book trips.

April 1, 1985 - Sports Illustrated reports that Sidd Finch, a rookie pitcher, (no he doesn't really exist) can pitch at something like 200 mph and learned his pitching skills in a Tibetan monastery. Thousands of people call and write about how great he looks on the ball field.

April 1, 1992 - Rich Little impersonates Richard Nixon deciding to run for president again. Slogan: "I didn't do anything wrong and I won't do it again." Thousands of angry voters call party HQ.

April 1, 1995 - The scientific magazine Discover reports that scientists have discovered a new species in Antarctica able to bore miles into the ice, collapse icebergs, and do all sorts of trashy things down there. The species was called The Hotheaded Naked Ice Borer. Hundreds of highly educated readers wrote in to discuss the habits of this amazing animal.

April 1, 1996 -Taco Bell reported that it had bought the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. It was to be renamed the Taco Liberty Bell. Thousands of people called the U.S. Congress and White House to complain. (Bill Clinton's press secretary thought the whole thing was pretty funny and said that they were gonna rename the Lincoln Memorial the 'Ford Lincoln Memorial' - thousands more angry calls).

April 1, 1998 - Burger King introduces "The Left-Handed Whopper." Tens of thousands of Burger King fans jam Burger King stores across the U.S.
 
Yes, Midnight all over the world. I wonder who is having midnight right now. No cell phone so I can't check.
 
"In Scotland, the butts of April Fool's jokes were known as April "Gowks," another name for a cuckoo bird. The origins of the "Kick Me" sign can supposedly be traced back to the Scottish observance of the day."

I never thought about the origins of the Kick Me sign, a favorite any time of the year at my high school on 1966-70. Funny it is a Scottish tradition.

Here are some more a friend shared with me yesterday:

April 1, 1962 - Swedish TV (there was only one black-and-white channel at that point) broadcast a message saying that you could convert your black-and-white TV to color if you put a nylon stocking over it. Thousands of frustrated people called in to complain that the technique didn't work and that they ripped a bunch of stockings.

April 1, 1976 - The BBC reports that the planet Pluto (no longer a planet, R.I.P.) will get behind Jupiter the night of April 1, thereby significantly reducing Earth's gravity. Thousands of people call in to report that they floated up to their ceilings.

April 1, 1977 - The Guardian reports about a beautiful new island called San Serriffe (for non-artists - sans serif is an unadorned typeface). The island has beautiful lagoons, including Upper Caisse and Lower Caissee. Thousands of people call travel agents wanting to book trips.

April 1, 1985 - Sports Illustrated reports that Sidd Finch, a rookie pitcher, (no he doesn't really exist) can pitch at something like 200 mph and learned his pitching skills in a Tibetan monastery. Thousands of people call and write about how great he looks on the ball field.

April 1, 1992 - Rich Little impersonates Richard Nixon deciding to run for president again. Slogan: "I didn't do anything wrong and I won't do it again." Thousands of angry voters call party HQ.

April 1, 1995 - The scientific magazine Discover reports that scientists have discovered a new species in Antarctica able to bore miles into the ice, collapse icebergs, and do all sorts of trashy things down there. The species was called The Hotheaded Naked Ice Borer. Hundreds of highly educated readers wrote in to discuss the habits of this amazing animal.

April 1, 1996 -Taco Bell reported that it had bought the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. It was to be renamed the Taco Liberty Bell. Thousands of people called the U.S. Congress and White House to complain. (Bill Clinton's press secretary thought the whole thing was pretty funny and said that they were gonna rename the Lincoln Memorial the 'Ford Lincoln Memorial' - thousands more angry calls).

April 1, 1998 - Burger King introduces "The Left-Handed Whopper." Tens of thousands of Burger King fans jam Burger King stores across the U.S.

Incredible, isn't it, what people will believe. Even on April Fools' Day.

::fervently hoping that these are all real April Fools' jokes so I don't look like an idiot:: :D
 
Yes. People are gullible. The Catholic Church, the oldest and most successful business the world has ever known, built their dogma on that very fact and people are still gullible enough to believe that shit about heaven and hell and sinning against God and paying for it by putting money in the collection plate on Sunday. What a crock!
 
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