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Before 1585 France celebrated New Year’s for eight days, from 25 March to 1 April. The beginning of the New Year coincided with spring, symbolising new beginnings.
When the new Gregorian calendar was introduced during the reign of Charles IX, New Year’s Day was moved to the first of January. The French must have been furious; exchanging a week of partying for a single day.
In those days news travelled slowly, and when the end of March came many people were still not aware of the change, and they were quickly labelled ‘fools’.
Others, unhappy about the unfair exchange, chose to ignore the new rule and continued to celebrate the coming of the new year. They were laughed at and became the victims of many pranks, for instance, followers of the new New Year invited them to parties that never took place and gave them foolish gifts.
This is the most popular account of how April Fool’s Day came about, but it's still only one of many tales speculating on why it exists.
In an attempt to put a Christian spin on the day, some insisted the origin had Biblical roots. The most popular of these arguments say the day exists because Noah made the mistake of sending a dove out from the ark before the floodwaters subsided. He sent the dove on a 'fool's errand'. Noah expected the dove to perform the seemingly hopeless task of finding signs of dry land while the whole earth was covered in water.
Sending someone on a fool’s errand was one of the most popular pranks our forefathers used to celebrate April Fool’s Day.
Then there's the British' theory. According to the Brits the day is linked to the legendary Gotham city, known as the city of fools, which is situated in Nottinghamshire.
Legend has it that 13th Century tradition declared any road the King traveled on public property. In an attempt to keep their main road, the people of Gotham started spreading false stories to keep the King from travelling through their town.
Once the King realised they tried to trick him, he sent a messenger to demand an explanation. When the messenger arrived he found the town filled with lunatics. People were trying to drown fish and catch birds in roofless cages. The King fell for the prank and declared the town too foolish to punish. April Fool’s Day supposedly commemorates their trickery.
The French have a very different reason why they celebrate the first of April, a day which they call Poisson d'Avril. Its only similarity to other stories of origin is it also coincides with the beginning of Spring.
During this time of year large numbers of young fish would hatch, creating an abundance of fish in the French streams and rivers. These young fish were easy to fool with a hook and lure. The French called them 'Poisson d'Avril' or 'April Fish.' Soon it became customary to fool people on April 1, as a way of celebrating the abundance of foolish fish.
Today, the French still use the term 'Poisson d'Avril' to describe the victims of April Fool's Day pranks. You still see young children sticking pictures of fish on the backs of schoolmates and yelling “poisson d’Avril”. The French also preserved the custom of giving each other chocolate fish on April 1.
Anthropologists and cultural historians trace the origin of April Fool’s Day back to (Northern Hemisphere) Springtime celebrations. In springtime nature is said to play tricks on people and the festivals held during this time mimicked the unpredictable weather. During these festivals rules were discarded, the social order was inverted and wild partying and trickery were acceptable. Mmm, sounds a lot like the Oppikoppi festivals.
According to the website, www.museumofhoaxes.com, April Fool’s Day celebrations “act as a safety valve, giving people a chance to vent their social antagonisms in a harmless way. They give people a chance to temporarily step outside of accepted rules of behaviour.”
So watch your step 'cause no matter how it started trickery on Fool’s Day is still alive and well. Today it even has its own set of unofficial rules. In England if you're tricked your called a noodle. In Scotland you’re an April Gowk (a cuckoo bird).
Image: Beeld
