Just why do we have a day dedicated to the theme of pranking and practical jokes? Why is it that just April gets a Fool’s Day? Why not December Fool’s or August Fool’s? The real origin of April Fool’s Day is unknow. There is one popular theory that seems to be the most accepted explanation.
The story proposes that April Fool’s Day came about in France in 1582. This is the year that the switch was made to the Gregorian calendar, changing New Year’s Day to January 1st instead of April 1st. Since communication happened either by world of mouth or by letter, word of this change spread very slowly. And some people just refused to accept the change and continued to celebrate the new year on April 1. It was said that those who continued to celebrate the new year on were labeled as fools and were subject to ridicule. Paper fish were often attached to the backs of these “fools” to mark them as young and naive like an easily caught fish in early spring.
It really isn’t clear where the modern day April Fools originated. Many experts say the French theory can’t be entirely true because the new year was really celebrated on Easter, not April 1st. It is clear that light hearted pranks seem to be widely accepted all over the world. So this year, plan a good prank and have a laugh. Check out our 10 great pranks to pull on your kids article for some inspiration!
