Today morning do not be surprised and more importantly do not get angry if you are woken up by a family member saying that there is someone at the door looking for you. You go to the door and find written on it in bold letters are the words “April Fool”.
I recall last year on April Fool’s Day I was told by my colleague that I was urgently wanted by my boss in his cabin. I dashed to his cabin only to find that the boss was as much surprised to see me in his cabin as I was surprised to find out that I was not called by the boss. Both were equally fooled.
Today is indeed ‘April Fool’ also known as ‘All Fools’ Day’. On April 1 every year, pranksters across the country play jokes on their friends and colleagues before shouting out ‘April fool!’ Even though it has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery. Unsurprising for a day that revels in confusion, the origins of April Fools’ Day are not known for sure. On this day in 1700, English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools’ Day by playing practical jokes on each other. Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. Historians have also linked April Fools’ Day to ancient festivals such as Hilaria, which was celebrated in Rome at the end of March and involved people dressing up in disguises. April Fools’ Day spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. Some people trace it back to a decision to change the start of the calendar year from the end of March to January 1 in the 16th Century.
April Fools’ Day is observed throughout the Western world. Pranks include sending someone on a “fool’s errand,” looking for things that don’t exist; playing pranks; and trying to get people to believe ridiculous things. It is one of the most light-hearted days of the year.
According to this theory, the folk who mistakenly continued to celebrate the New Year on the old date were seen as fools. Others believe that April Fools’ Day is linked to historic spring festivals that celebrate misrule, mayhem and jokes. There’s also speculation that April Fools’ Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring In the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather.
In modern times, people have gone to great lengths to create elaborate April Fools’ Day hoaxes. Newspapers, radio and TV stations and Web sites have participated in the April 1 tradition of reporting outrageous fictional claims that have fooled their audiences. In 1957, the BBC reported that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees; numerous viewers were fooled. Remember that you can only play jokes on people until noon on April 1. After midday, the joker who plays the prank becomes the April fool.
