Just a fool~
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April Fools' Day: Origin and History
The uncertain origins of a foolish day
by David Johnson and Shmuel Ross
Related Links
The Hoax Files
Quiz: Phobias
History of the Gregorian calendar
Calendar and Holidays
Equinox
France
History of the New Year
April Fools' Day, sometimes called All Fools' Day, is one of the most light hearted days of the year. Its origins are uncertain. Some see it as a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new calendar.
New Year's Day Moves
Ancient cultures, including those as varied as the Romans and the Hindus, celebrated New Year's Day on or around April 1. It closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or March 21st.) In medieval times, much of Europe celebrated March 25, the Feast of Annunciation, as the beginning of the new year.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian Calendar) to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called for New Year's Day to be celebrated Jan. 1. That year, France adopted the reformed calendar and shifted New Year's day to Jan. 1. According to a popular explanation, many people either refused to accept the new date, or did not learn about it, and continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Other people began to make fun of these traditionalists, sending them on "fool's errands" or trying to trick them into believing something false. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe.
Problems With This Explanation
There are at least two difficulties with this explanation. The first is that it doesn't fully account for the spread of April Fools' Day to other European countries. The Gregorian calendar was not adopted by England until 1752, for example, but April Fools' Day was already well established there by that point. The second is that we have no direct historical evidence for this explanation, only conjecture, and that conjecture appears to have been made more recently.
Constantine and Kugel
Another explanation of the origins of April Fools' Day was provided by Joseph Boskin, a professor of history at Boston University. He explained that the practice began during the reign of Constantine, when a group of court jesters and fools told the Roman emperor that they could do a better job of running the empire. Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be king for one day. Kugel passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the custom became an annual event.
"In a way," explained Prof. Boskin, "it was a very serious day. In those times fools were really wise men. It was the role of jesters to put things in perspective with humor."
This explanation was brought to the public's attention in an Associated Press article printed by many newspapers in 1983. There was only one catch: Boskin made the whole thing up. It took a couple of weeks for the AP to realize that they'd been victims of an April Fools' joke themselves.
Spring Fever
It is worth noting that many different cultures have had days of foolishness around the start of April, give or take a couple of weeks. The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25, rejoicing in the resurrection of Attis. The Hindu calendar has Holi, and the Jewish calendar has Purim. Perhaps there's something about the time of year, with its turn from winter to spring, that lends itself to lighthearted celebrations.
Observances Around the World
April Fools' Day is observed throughout the Western world. Practices 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.
The French call April 1 Poisson d'Avril, or "April Fish." French children sometimes tape a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates, crying "Poisson d'Avril" when the prank is discovered.
For more April Fools' fun, read all about ingenious hoaxes: in sports, science, art, the media, Hollywood, and the Internet.
Information Please® Database, © 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
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© 2000-2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease • RSS • About • Contact • Link to Us • Advertise with Us • Terms of Use • Privacy • Related sites: Family Education • TeacherVision
Daily Almanac for Apr 2, 2007Search White Pages
Skip Navigation Home Almanacs Atlas Encyclopedia Dictionary Thesaurus Features Quizzes Timelines Countries Poetry
World & News
United States
History & Gov't
Biography
Sports
Arts & Ent.
Business
Society & Culture
Health & Science
Homework Center
Fact Monster
Kid's reference,
games, quizzes
Daily Almanac
This Day in History
Today's Birthday
Word of the Day
Editor's Favorites
Women's History Month
Iraq Timeline
Titanic Facts
Spring Equinox
April Fools' Day
Hoax Files
Easter
Passover
Facts About Women in the House and the Senate
Top Travel Destinations
Daylight Saving Time
The Ides of March
St. Patrick's Day
Black History Month
2007 Calendar
2007 Educator's Calendar
Women's History Printables
Search: Infoplease
Info search tips
Search: Biographies
Bio search tips
April Fools' Day: Origin and History
The uncertain origins of a foolish day
by David Johnson and Shmuel Ross
Related Links
The Hoax Files
Quiz: Phobias
History of the Gregorian calendar
Calendar and Holidays
Equinox
France
History of the New Year
April Fools' Day, sometimes called All Fools' Day, is one of the most light hearted days of the year. Its origins are uncertain. Some see it as a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new calendar.
New Year's Day Moves
Ancient cultures, including those as varied as the Romans and the Hindus, celebrated New Year's Day on or around April 1. It closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or March 21st.) In medieval times, much of Europe celebrated March 25, the Feast of Annunciation, as the beginning of the new year.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian Calendar) to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called for New Year's Day to be celebrated Jan. 1. That year, France adopted the reformed calendar and shifted New Year's day to Jan. 1. According to a popular explanation, many people either refused to accept the new date, or did not learn about it, and continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Other people began to make fun of these traditionalists, sending them on "fool's errands" or trying to trick them into believing something false. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe.
Problems With This Explanation
There are at least two difficulties with this explanation. The first is that it doesn't fully account for the spread of April Fools' Day to other European countries. The Gregorian calendar was not adopted by England until 1752, for example, but April Fools' Day was already well established there by that point. The second is that we have no direct historical evidence for this explanation, only conjecture, and that conjecture appears to have been made more recently.
Constantine and Kugel
Another explanation of the origins of April Fools' Day was provided by Joseph Boskin, a professor of history at Boston University. He explained that the practice began during the reign of Constantine, when a group of court jesters and fools told the Roman emperor that they could do a better job of running the empire. Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be king for one day. Kugel passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the custom became an annual event.
"In a way," explained Prof. Boskin, "it was a very serious day. In those times fools were really wise men. It was the role of jesters to put things in perspective with humor."
This explanation was brought to the public's attention in an Associated Press article printed by many newspapers in 1983. There was only one catch: Boskin made the whole thing up. It took a couple of weeks for the AP to realize that they'd been victims of an April Fools' joke themselves.
Spring Fever
It is worth noting that many different cultures have had days of foolishness around the start of April, give or take a couple of weeks. The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25, rejoicing in the resurrection of Attis. The Hindu calendar has Holi, and the Jewish calendar has Purim. Perhaps there's something about the time of year, with its turn from winter to spring, that lends itself to lighthearted celebrations.
Observances Around the World
April Fools' Day is observed throughout the Western world. Practices 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.
The French call April 1 Poisson d'Avril, or "April Fish." French children sometimes tape a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates, crying "Poisson d'Avril" when the prank is discovered.
For more April Fools' fun, read all about ingenious hoaxes: in sports, science, art, the media, Hollywood, and the Internet.
Information Please® Database, © 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
CitePrintEmailHotWordsBookmark Add bookmark
Furl this page
Add to del.icio.us
Digg It!
Add to Reddit
Features Archive
Did you know? France still maintains 16 colonies or dependencies.
Infoplease Tools
Calculator
Spelling Checker
Place Finder
Distance Calculator
Periodic Table
Conversion Tool
Perpetual Calendar
Year by Year
Career Center
Job Search
Post Your Resume
Continuing Ed.
College Center
Scholarship Search
Colleges & Universities
College Resources
Marketplace
© 2000-2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease • RSS • About • Contact • Link to Us • Advertise with Us • Terms of Use • Privacy • Related sites: Family Education • TeacherVision