April fools day

4/2/2018 (Permalink)

April 1st, also known to many as April fool’s day, is a day filled with harmless jokes and pranks but where did the April fool come from? Who was this person and where did he live? And what exactly made him so foolish?

According to history.com, April fool’s day is thought to have originated back in 1582 when the French switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. It is thought that some people did not want to recognize or failed the knowledge of the new year being moved to January 1st, so they continued to celebrate the last week in March through April 1st. That then brought on jokes for those who did not recognize that the holiday had been moved.

The jokes that were played on one another back then were a far cry from the kinds of jokes and pranks played on people these days. One of the most popular jokes was someone putting a paper fish on your back. The paper fish was known as poisson d'avril also known as April fish. This fish was thought to symbolize an easily caught fish or a gullible person.

During the 1700's, the April fool’s popularity grew. English pranksters were at the foot of the popularity and spread the jokes of the day through their land. 

Through all the speculation, the actual origin to April fool’s day is still a mystery. But that sure doesn't stop people of all ages enjoying pulling a friendly joke or harmless prank on someone for a good old belly laugh!