Where
Does the Fool in April Fools’ Come From?
The
origins of April Fools’ Day are uncertain, but one theory is that it began in
1582, when France adopted the Gregorian calendar. Before this time, New Year’s
Day fell on March 25 rather than January 1. Those who continued to celebrate
the old New Year at the beginning of April were called “fools” by their early
adopting contemporaries. Even before this transition, the New Year had long been
associated with the term “fool.” In medieval France, the Feast of Fools fell on
January 1. At this popular festival hijinks abounded: Christian ritual was brusquely
imitated, a fake pope was elected, and high and low officials swapped jobs for
a day. Feast of Fools was likely modelled after the similarly themed pagan
festival Saturnalia.
As this
French tradition died out during the 16th century, a new one sprung up in the
form of April Fools’ Day, or All Fools’ Day. In France, the fooled party is
called the poisson d’avril, which literally means “April fish.” The
customary prank involves pinning a paper fish, also called the poisson
d’avril, to a friend’s back. This is not the only April Fools’ custom involving
paper and backs. In Scotland, April Fools’ Day is called Gowkie
Day—gowk is another name for the cuckoo, which is a common symbol of the
fool. The pranks continue into April 2, Taily Day, when friends traditionally
attach a “kick me” sign to their friends’ backs. Other countries have their own
customs: Brazil celebrates April 1 as Dia da Mentira, or “Lie Day,” in which
people try to fool their loved ones for comedic effect. Though not directly
related to April Fools’ celebrations, in northern India people throw coloured
water and powder on others as part of the Hindu festival of Holi, which
generally falls in February or March. One Holi tradition is strikingly similar
to the now defunct Feast of Fools; for one day people playfully trade caste,
status, gender, and age roles.
The
beginning of spring marks a time of light-hearted pranking around the world. Do
you know of any other April Fools’ Day customs? What are some of your favourite
April Fools’ pranks?
Happy
weekends to you all
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