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HOLIDAY: April Fool's Day - a Little History
Recent Gauteng Business News
April Fool’s Day, or All Fool’s Day as many know it, is a day that has a
tradition dating back many centuries. Where the tradition comes from is
still up to debate, with some people seeing it as a celebration related
to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the
adoption of a new calendar. For an interesting historical view of the
most light-hearted day of the year, read on.
New Year's Day Moves
Ancient cultures, including those of the Romans and 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 light-hearted 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.
In the UK, Australia, New Zealand and here in South Africa April Fool’s
runs until 12 noon, after which anyone caught pulling a prank is labelled
the “Fool”.
Whether you've been the Fool today, or you've fooled a friend or colleague, have a fantastic April Fool's Day!
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