April Fool’s Day History and Pranks

Tomorrow is April 1. After enduring a long, cold winter, most people want a little gaiety. Enter April Fool’s Day. April 1 is April Fool’s Day, a day set aside for hoaxes and practical jokes on friends and colleagues, often yelling “April Fool” when the victim falls for the prank.

It has been celebrated for several centuries and by many different cultures, but the exact origins remain a mystery. With media and major brands embracing the day, this unofficial holiday will continue to endure.

This from the Rock Springs Independent, April 6, 1906 – Aprils Fool’s Day. Last Sunday, the first day of April and many were the pranks played by the little folks and some of the big ones, also. Hallowe’en and April Fool’s Day were invented to provide safety valves for those souls who are always simmering under an overload of energy. The habit of celebrating the latter day by playing harmless pranks, begins early in life and retains its hold upon the individual until life ends. As no one is injured and suffers nothing more than a temporary shock and overthrow of dignity, the day serves a good purpose in permitting the sun of jollity to peep into dark and gray of everyday existence. ‘A harmless joke every now and then is relished by the most staid of men.’

Here is one article published in The Wyoming Times, Evanston, April 13, 1916, about how April Fool’s Day started. – April Fool’s Day. Do you know how the first of April came to be known as ‘April Fool’s Day’?’ About the middle of the Sixteenth century the calendar was changed in France so that the year should begin on Jan. 1 instead of April 1, as had been the custom previous to that time. Under the old form of calendar, April 1 had been devoted to giving gifts and paying visits in celebration of the new year.

It naturally took many years for the people to become accustomed to this change and many amusing mistakes were made. These mistakes got the people into the habit of playing jokes on their neighbors for the express purpose of fooling them. The result of this was it became an international custom, and the day was known as “All Fool’s Day.”

And this from The Sheridan Enterprise, March 31, 1915 – Legends of the Origin of “April Fool” and Some of the Queer Pranks Which Have Been Played on That Day ln Various Parts of the World. After vainly trying to find an origin for the silly custom of “fooling” people on April first the majority of historians have come to the conclusion that it is a relic of the old Roman Saturnalia. It was at that time that Calus and Manlius bent their classic wits to the task of fooling one another during that part of the ceremony known as “the feast of fools.”

A small number of antiquarians, however, still cling to other ideas of its origin and these are repeated here for what they are worth. Some believe that All Fools’ Day originated with what was known as the “Feast of Huli” celebrated in India. This occurred on March thirty-first, when the chief diversion of the people was to send their friends on foolish errands, such as sending them letters to meet a certain person at a certain point and then hiding somewhere until they appeared and having a laugh at their expense.

Still others contend that the day began with the mistake of sending the dove out of the Ark before the waters had abated on the first day of the month among the Hebrews, which answers to our first of April, and to perpetuate the memory of this deliverance it was thought proper that whoever forgot so remarkable a circumstance should be punished by being sent upon an errand similar to that ineffectual message upon which the bird was sent by the Patriarch.

Another origin for the custom is traced to France. This nation took the lead over all Christendom In commencing the new year on January first instead of March twenty-fifth, before the change was made the merry-making culminated with a feast held on April first, when visits were paid and gifts bestowed. With the adoption of the reformed calendar in 1564 New Year’s Day was carried back to January first and only pretended gifts and mock ceremonial visits were paid on April first with the view of making fools of those who had forgotten to change the date. The custom once started was kept up even long after its origin had been forgotten.

Feast of Fools. – But after all, these origins must give way to ancient Rome, for the feasting of fools, even though it occurred on February seventeenth is the nearest thing to our All Fools’ Day. Although this feast took place in pagan times it was really one of a series of burlesque festivals which are said to have been Introduced into the Christian Church by Thaophyiact Patriarch of Constantinople and was a recrudescence of the Roman feasts.

In France and Italy a bishop and archbishop of fools were elected and confirmed with a lot of buffoonery, after which a pope of fools was chosen. All sorts of riotous and impious scenes took place.

The people performed all sorts of pranks on the streets, being carried about on each others’ shoulders for the amusement of the crowd. The churches immediately refused to permit these things and happily the custom died out and the simple fooling of people took its place and is still universal throughout the world.

One April Fools Prank actually helped two political prisoners escape.

(From the above article) Another historic bit of fooling was when Francis, Duke of Lorraine, and his duchess escaped from prison on April1 in the 15^th century. They came out of prison disguised as peasants and were recognized by an old woman attendant. She called to the soldier who was on guard, telling him that it was the duke and duchess.

“April fool!” was the sentry’s answer and the royal couple went out undisturbed. When the guard went off duty he told the story to his friends, and they called it a smart trick. The governor enjoyed the joke as well, and even while he was laughing word came to him that the peasants were none other than the royal prisoners and they were now beyond his reach.

A few pranks in America on April Fool’s Day included sending people to the druggists for pigeons’ milk or to the bookseller for a history of Eve’s grandmother are still common practice. Loaded cigars and candy stuffed with cotton and pepper are regarded as refined April fool tricks and so common that few men will accept a Havana from a friend on that day and many girls distrust the boxes of candy sent to them by ever-generous sweethearts.

Sometimes it pays to be careful of what jokes you play, they can backfire. This from The Centennial Post, April 19, 1913 –Thirteen Kemmerer high school students were suspended for three days for “playing hooky” on April Fools Day, as a joke on the teachers. They spent the time watching the ice gorge in the river.

So, after a long, cold gray winter, let off a little steam on April Fool’s Day, with harmless pranks and jokes. But remember that you, also can be the target on April Fool’s Day.