April Fools Day is Saturday

By Felicia Farnsworth

This upcoming Saturday happens to be April First, also known as April Fools Day. Many people love to play jokes and pull pranks on one another on this day and have for some time. Have you ever wondered how it all began?

There’s been a long dispute about the origins of April 1 and foolishness. Some say it is associated in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (1392). In “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale,” Chaunticleer is tricked by a fox on Syn March began thrifty days and two, which at the time readers translated this line to mean “32 March,” i.e. April 1. There are some historians who believe it started in France, 1582, when the country switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. The old new year was celebrated during the last week of March through April 1 and the new calendar celebrates it on January 1. Those who did not know of the change became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April Fools.” The pranks that were pulled consisted of having a paper fish placed on their backs and called “ poisson d’avril” (April Fish). The fish symbolized a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.

There’s also speculation that April Fools Day is tied to the Vernal Equinox, the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

So, if you are in the market for a good prank, be very wary this Saturday. Who knows what kind of shenanigans may be occurring. If you hear “April Fools” you know that someone has been tricked or pranked.

Will you be next?