The Origins of April Fools’ Day

I kind of took it easy on myself. Because even though the title of this piece suggests that some research was required, the reality is that the origins of April Fools’ Day are relatively unknown. In fact, I could just end it here and go back to writing about March Madness—well, I should probably just ride it out.

 

What We Know

As indicated above, we don’t know much. References to the shenanigans of April Fools’ Day date back many centuries, but theories regarding the exact origins are all over the map, ranging anywhere from the Genesis flood narrative to a spring festival in ancient Rome called Hilaria to a disputed reference in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (1392).

One of the more popular explanations—which contains several holes—refers to the move from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 16th-century France. With that change, celebration of the New Year shifted from around April 1 to January 1. Those who were slow to adopt the change were referred to as April fools, or more specifically poisson d’avril (April fish), indicating an easily caught fish. The modern version of this tradition involves children discreetly placing paper fish on the backs of unsuspecting victims.

Some have offered a simpler and more generic explanation, namely that of the spring equinox. Perhaps the period of generalized merriment—and unpredictable weather by which one can easily be fooled—that was captured in ancient times by entities such as Holi (Hinduism) and the aforementioned Hilaria is now captured by the current interpretation.

Despite these murky origins of April Fools’ Day, the occasion has gained relatively widespread acceptance. The list of countries participating in the festivities includes but is not limited to the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Poland, Sweden, India, Brazil, Canada, and the United States. (Many Spanish-speaking countries celebrate a similar tradition in late December.)

Detractors have pointed out the fact that news delivered on April 1 can mistakenly be interpreted as a hoax. They have also expressed concern that people occasionally take things a bit too far. That said, in general, the practical jokes that define April Fools’ Day are of a relatively benign nature (see below).

 

My Favorite “Educational” April Fools’ Day Pranks

Since I find myself in the general knowledge arena, here are a few pranks that are right up my alley.

Geography

Geography Now! is an educational YouTube channel that boasts entertaining profiles of almost every country. In this video, host Paul Barbato does a meticulous job of highlighting Bandiaterra. There’s only one problem…

 

Economics

A college economics professor has a policy that students who receive a call during class have to answer on speakerphone for all to hear. Fair enough, right?

 

English

English words are notoriously hard to spell—especially these words.

 

Music

This orchestra teacher gets a little upset when his student musicians are talking over him.

 

 

No Joke

While I pondered the idea of coming up with my own prank for this article, I thought I’d go in a different direction and give you an important update on my company. After over a year of running this site, I’ve had the opportunity to do some serious soul searching. Yes, I enjoy the general knowledge space and the educational angle it provides, but my heart has drifted elsewhere.

So going forward, ComposeMD will be a lifestyle blog focused on the three areas that are near and dear to me.

Fashion

Despite my middle age, I still manage to stay on top of cutting-edge fashion trends, always making sure that what I buy complements any sort of body curvature. I’ll share with you the can’t-miss insights that I’ve discovered.

 

Fine Dining

To get the most out of life, you have to appreciate its finer points. And what better than food and drink to accentuate the joy of the day to day? You’ll undoubtedly appreciate the hidden gems that I’ll reveal.

 

Parenting

Over the years, I’ve come to master the art of engaging children of all ages. Can’t decide what toy to buy next? Need help with that new art project? How about talking to your teenage son? I got you covered.

 

Thank you for having been with me up until now—I truly hope you can join me for this fresh and exciting journey. Because as you might have guessed, April Fools!