I'm An April fool🃏...All Jokes Aside😂
"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year." - Mark Twain
I know that quote above sounds crazy because we all reflect on the year on January 1st for the new year celebration. But the calendar system and observance of the new didn’t always observe this holiday in January, and of course there’s an astrology tie-in. And it was in the process of writing about my love of new year celebrations in my blog about the Spring Equinox that I discovered yet another iteration to make my heart sing and leave me crying laughing. April Fool’s Day and New Year’s Day are connected – and no this isn’t a joke.
The Foolish Breakdown
April Fool's Day sort of evolved simultaneously in several cultures at the same time, from celebrations involving the first day of spring. From 14th to 16th century much of the Western world celebrated the new year either with a party that lasted from March 25 to April 1 or on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Easter.
The date for Easter varies from year to year. Using the Julian Calendar, Easter normally occurred around the first part of the month in April, the beginning of the season, Spring - as marked by the Spring Equinox. In Western astrology, the Tropical Zodiac still begins its yearly cycle in the Zodiac sign of Aries.
In 1582 A.D., Pope Gregory XIII introduced what is now called the Gregorian Calendar. The beginning of the new year was more closely aligned with the birth of Jesus Christ. In this process ten days were deleted from the calendar, so that in 1582, October 4th was followed by October 15th . Because of this change the Spring Equinox for 1583 and all subsequent years, was now moved to on or about March 21.
However big this change was, there were still some people didn’t accept this change. While others didn’t know anything about the new calendar (this is what happens when news traveled by foot and by messenger). So, there were groups of people who continued to celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1 and others who thought this was so ridiculous that they played tricks on them and call them “April fools.”
The Origin Of Jokes & Tricks
The most common belief is that the observance of April Fool's Day began in France after the adoption of the reform calendar by Charles IX in 1564. When New Year's Day was changed to January 1. People who still celebrated New Year's Day on April 1 were the 'butt' of many jokes. They were called "Poisson d'Avril" (April Fish) because at that time of year the sun was in the zodiac sign of Pisces♓️, the fish. In France it became customary to play tricks on family and friends. French children fool their friends by taping a paper fish to their friends' backs. When the "young fool" discovers this trick, the prankster yells "Poisson d’Avril!"
In England, tricks can be played only in the morning. If a trick is played on you, you are a "noodle". In Scotland you are called an "April Gowk" or cuckoo bird. It lasts for two days there. The second day in Scotland is called Taily Day and is dedicated to pranks involving the buttocks. The Scotts can be given credit for the "Kick Me" and the 'to be the butt of a joke' expression.
Now Americans, play small tricks on friends and strangers alike on the first of April. One common trick on April Fool's Day is pointing down to a friend's shoe and saying, "Your shoelace is untied." If victim falls for the joke the prankster yells, "April Fool!" Most April Fool jokes are harmless pranks.
With the unlimited creativeness of human being, tricks and pranks perform in several ways from simple, such as “Hey dude, there is some mud on your face” to elaborate ones, such as setting roommate’s alarm clock back an hour. Whatever the prank is, the pranksters usually shout to their victims “April Fool!” at the end of a joke. Yet in these modern times the news media has flavored April Fool’s Day with more humor and hilariousness, and we know nothing of this holiday’s connection to Astrology and the New Year. So now that you know, celebrate like its January 1st and make watch out for the pranksters!
