When was April Fool's Day and how to celebrate it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Four versions of the origin of the holiday and three ideas for pranks are waiting for you.

April 1 is celebrated in Russia as April Fool's Day. In other countries, the holiday is called Fool's Day, but the essence remains the same.

Where does April Fool's Day come from?

According to the surviving archives, people were keenly interested in this issue 300-400 years ago. "Where does the custom of organizing April Fools' rallies come from?" - this is an excerpt from a very real letter, received by April Fools Day 1st April in the entertainment publication "British Apollo, or Curious entertainment for geniuses" in 1708 (unless, of course, historians are not playing with us about the date).

Unfortunately, it is not known how the journalists of the 18th century answered it. But modern scientists do not know the answer to April Fools’Day until now. Moreover, it is not even clear how old the holiday is: the possible versions have a millennium difference!

By the way, about the versions. Here are some of the most popular ones.

The Gregorian calendar is to blame for everything …

More precisely, the transition to it from the Julian. In France, this happened in 1572 and caused confusion in the lives of ordinary French people.

The fact is that in the Julian calendar, each new year began with the vernal equinox, which fell on about April 1. And in the Gregorian, they ordered to live in a new way from January 1.

Educated law-abiding people quickly accepted and remembered the updated date. But there were also those who constantly forgot about January 1 and were eager to celebrate the New Year on April 1. Such "absent-minded" people were laughed at, they became the object of jokes and practical jokes. They were called April Fools - poisson d'avril.

By the way, literally translated, this phraseological unit means "April fish": I mean a young, stupid and absent-minded fish, which is easy to catch, that is, to circle around your finger.

Well, from France, a traditional trendsetter, the custom of making fun of others on April 1 spread throughout Europe.

… or a random story about the desire for justice

In British folklore, the origins of April 1 are associated with April Fools Day 1st April with the events in the city of Gotham in the 13th century. The then King John took a fancy to the surrounding forests: there was a lot of game in them. The king decided to take a large piece of land from the city in order to build a hunting lodge on it.

Naturally, the Gothamians were against it. However, they could not express their displeasure directly. Therefore, they acted cunningly. When the king's men arrived in the city, they found that the population was doing all sorts of crazy things. For example, he drowns fish, harnesses horses with his head to a cart, puts gloves on his feet, and boots on his hands. In general, he behaves completely stupid. Worried about the safety of property in such a strange place, the king refused to build.

All this happened around April 1st. So fooling around on this day, celebrating the prevailing justice, has become a Gotham tradition. And then the pan-British and even pan-European.

No, we owe the Day of April Fools' Day to Ancient Rome or India

Proponents of this version insist that the stupid April traditions seem to have existed before April Fools Day than since the 16th or even the 13th century.

For example, in ancient Rome, there was the Ilaria festival, which lasted from March 25 to April 1. And in India about the same dates since antiquity, the Holi festival (festival of colors), associated with the onset of spring, has been and is being held. And here and there people joked, played tricks on each other, showered flowers and paints, had fun and generally rejoiced in the coming warmth.

Perhaps the tradition of fooling around on April 1st dates back to these holidays.

Or maybe it's just the unpredictability of the weather

There is an assumption that Fools' Day has been celebrated since time immemorial, being tied to the vernal equinox. In the Northern Hemisphere, the weather during this period is very unstable, every now and then it plays quite evil jokes with people: it will warm it up with the sun, then it will again remind you of winter. Perhaps the ancient people began to celebrate a comic holiday, playing and deceiving each other in order to imitate mother nature.

How April Fool's Day appeared in Russia

April Fool's Day is considered: the history and traditions of the holiday, which in the Russian Empire on April 1 as April Fool's Day appeared through the efforts of Peter the Great. The emperor was keen on cutting a window to Europe and enjoyed copying European holidays, including this one.

So, the story has survived, as once on April 1, residents of St. Petersburg were woken up by a fire alarm. Comic: it was arranged by order of Peter to "have fun". On another occasion, a troupe of German actors, to whom the emperor had come, put on the stage a poster with the inscription "April Fool's Day" instead of the play. The hot-tempered usually Peter was not offended, but only said good-naturedly: "The liberty of the comedians." In general, in this way, April Fools' rallies and jokes have become a tradition in Russia.

However, according to some reports, our ancestors celebrated the day of laughter earlier. During pagan times, April 1 was considered the day when the brownie wakes up after hibernation. His awakening was greeted with smiles, joyful antics, jokes and laughter.

How Fools Day is celebrated in different countries

In absolutely all countries, the celebration of the Day of Fools comes down to one thing - jokes. However, some regional traditions still occur on April Fools Day.

For example, in France, paper "April fish" is still glued to the backs of friends and acquaintances. In Scotland, the holiday bears another name - Taily Day (“Day of the rear” - in the sense of the day of the place below the back), and the Scots cheerfully pin fake tails, pieces of paper or tablets with the words “Kick me” to the priests of their friends.

In Russia, a conditional tradition can be considered the remark "Your back is white!" and smearing the sleeping people with toothpaste. But you can play each other in a more original way.

How to play a prank on April Fool's Day

Here are some effective and safe options.

Soap that won't wash

In the evening, cover the bar of soap (used by your loved ones at home or colleagues in the office toilet) with a thin layer of clear varnish. It will dry out overnight. Put it back in the morning. And then rejoice at the surprise of family and colleagues who will unsuccessfully lather their hands with a bar.

For your overall safety (and yours too), make sure that there is an alternative in the bathroom. For example, place a fresh bottle of liquid soap or antiseptic on the shelf.

Milk on the keyboard

Pour regular PVA glue in a thin layer on a sheet of glossy paper or glass. When the glue dries, carefully remove it and place it on the victim's keyboard - so that the glue looks like spilled milk.

Surprise cookies

Buy cookies with a creamy layer. Disassemble it, carefully peel off the cream with a knife and replace with white toothpaste. Next, fold the pastries into a vase and place them on the table in your living room or office.