While the exact origin of the tradition of April Fools’ Day cannot be definitively determined, it has been around for quite some time. Also referred to as “All Fools’ Day,” the occasion has transcended cultures and has been recognized for several centuries.
Some historians have linked April Fools’ Day to the festival of Hilaria which was celebrated in ancient Rome at the end of March. This event was characterized by the donning of disguises and other types of unusual garb, thus fooling others as to the true identity of those so dressed.
There is also a contention that the tradition is connected to the honoring of the vernal equinox (also the basis for Easter) and the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. As the time of year that Mother Nature was thought to “fool” people with ever-changing, unpredictable weather, the concept of an “April Fools’” day being commemorated at the beginning of April can be readily understood.
Until medieval times, in keeping with the natural events of nature, New Year’s Day was celebrated during the week of March 25th, culminating on the first day of April. This particular observance was in general conjunction with the vernal equinox (i.e., the beginning of spring). By the mid-16th century, with the advent of the Gregorian calendar and its replacing of the Julian version, January 1st had come to be recognized by the reigning authorities as the first day of the “new year”; this date was officially adopted as such throughout much of Europe in 1564 through the Edict of Roussillon.
However, the peasants in outlying areas were slow to get the news, and many farmers simply refused to revert to a system of time-keeping that they considered to be “unnatural” in relation to recurring seasonal events. It came to be that those “in the know” were prone to poke fun at the ignorant peasants who had failed to keep up the times and continued to celebrate a date that, at least officially, no longer retained any significance.
Other versions abound as to just how April Fools’ Day came to be. Geoffrey Chaucer is said to have jokingly referenced the day in The Canterbury Tales (1392) by denoting the 32nd day of March, but debate continues as to the accurate interpretation of what he actually wrote. The French poet Eloy d’Amerval wrote of a “poisson d’Avril” (“fish of April”) in 1508, and Flemish poet Eduard de Dene recounted a tale of a nobleman who sent his servants on foolish errands on April 1st of 1539.
But the earliest documented date that has been put forth as the first recorded “April Fools’ Day” is 1582; it was then that France officially switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. This transition caused some degree of confusion among the illiterate peasant populations who continued to adhere to the old New Year’s period of celebration during the last week of March and through April 1st (which made more intuitive sense to the farmers commemorating a “new” season of planting).
If the 1582 date is accurate, it would constitute a bit of irony in and of itself; the Council of Trent had called for a calendar transition almost two decades earlier in 1563, so it would seem a bit hypocritical of the authorities to poke fun at those who were slow to adapt to a significant alteration of the calendar.
Regardless of how it started, the French are credited with the perpetuation of the customs that we today associate with April Fools’ Day. As noted, pranks such as sticking paper fish on the backs of unsuspecting “poisson d’Avril” were perpetrated as a way of insulting the victims, implying that they were as gullible as an easily caught fish who was too young to know any better than to bite the hook or swim into the net.
What is even more evident is the English history regarding April Fools’ Day. The first documented British reference to April Fools’ Day came from John Aubrey in 1686 when he denoted April 1st as the “Fooles’ Holy Day Holiday” in a published document. On April 1st of 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to “see the lions getting washed.”
But it is generally contended that it was on April 1st of 1700 that England experienced a much greater proliferation of pranks and practical jokes being played. It was after this that some semblance of this practice subsequently spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. Scotland eventually commemorated it with a two-day event that entailed “the hunting of the gowk” and “Tailie Day.” The former was a day in which phony errands were assigned to those who were sufficiently foolish as to fall prey to the ruse, just as a “gowk” (a word for “cuckoo bird,” symbolizing a fool) might fly about mindlessly with no particular destination. Tailie Day was a time for playing pranks such as pinning fake tails or “kick me” signs to the derriere of unsuspecting individuals.
Elaborate April Fools’ Day hoaxes have since occurred in modern times. Ranging from the subtle to the openly outrageous, broadcasts from radio and television stations, as well as newspaper articles and website notations, have been proliferated, and often “successfully” so. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported in 1957 that “Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop” and even showed film footage of people “harvesting” noodles from trees. Sports Illustrated ran an April Fools’ Day 1985 article about a rookie pitcher named Sidd Finch whose fastball had reached a speed of 168 miles per hour. More recently, Taco Bell announced on April 1st of 1996 that it had agreed to purchase the Liberty Bell and planned to rename it the “Taco )Liberty) Bell.” Similarly, Burger King promoted its “Left-Handed Whopper” on April 1st of 1998 – scores of clueless customers subsequently requested the fake sandwich for weeks afterwards.
But no matter the origin or history of April Fools’ Day and/or the most “entertaining” practices associated therewith, it would do us well to exercise due caution this Sunday. If or when we are told something that may seem a bit “fishy,” a second thought may be in order prior to us abiding by whatever we hear. Otherwise, we, too, may be labeled as the newest version of “poisson d’Avrilc” by those “in the know.”
