April 1st is an international holiday, adored by pranksters all over the world. I am talking on April Fool’s Day, fun but also a very old celebration. In fact, April Fool’s may actually be one of the oldest celebrations we still have today.
The legend says that April 1st began in the 1500s, 6 centuries ago, when people adopted the Gregorian calendar, the one we use today. Before the calendar change, the New Year’s would be celebrated on April 1st every year. Those who forgot about the calendar change and still celebrated the New Year on April 1st were called “April fools”. Thus the holiday began.
However, some say that April’s Fool goes even beyond the 16th century and it relates to the ancient Roman celebration of Hilaria. This is where the term “hilarious” comes from. This feast marked the vernal equinox (the first day of the year longer than the night) and would usually fall on March 25th. Masquerades, games, and peasants disguised and mimicking nobility would be the party norm.
April Fool’s gained more and more popularity over the recent decades, showing that people love to make pranks and have a good laugh about it. April 1st continues to be celebrated all over the world, and pranks are allowed between family and friends as well as in the workplace. It is pretty clear that everybody loves cracking a good prank and having a good laugh.
After all, April 1st marks the midst of Spring in the Northern hemisphere, around the time where people wake up from the long sleep of winter and into the new start of the season. Nature comes back to life, everything is blooming and there is no reason not to enjoy this time of year the best way possible. Cracking jokes on April’s Fools’ Day is definitely a way of expressing this joy of new beginnings and the beauty of life.
Who are you going to prank today?