A little April foolishness: Prank holiday is centuries old
“Pish and posh – the world is lost – the fools are out again.”
Sung in England approximately 400 years ago, these words come from a ditty, “The Fool’s Parade,” which was originally written for the festival that has come down through history as April Fool’s Day.
Begun under the reign of King Edward II, April Fool’s was at first a time for the general populace to forget their grieving spirits and celebrate life, albeit in a somewhat disorderly fashion. Students would skip their classes, workers would call in sick, and then everyone would run around shouting “April fool’s,” at their neighbors and anyone who believes anything written so far.
APRIL FOOL’S!
The real history of April Fool’s Day is actually much different than this load of gibberish and, for such a frivolous holiday, stems from quite a serious event: The adoption of a new calendar.
Though, according to wilstar.com/holidays/aprilfool.htm, some people “believe [April Fool’s Day] sort of evolved simultaneously in several cultures at the same time,” many people look to France in the year 1582 as the beginning of this prank-filled day.
Prior to 1582, many countries and cultures in keeping with the Julian calendar, celebrated the new year for eight days with a large celebration culminating on April 1. However, with the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar (so named for Pope Gregory XIII) New Year’s Day moved to January 1.
The problem was that, being 1582, communication wasn’t nearly as reliable nor speedy as it is today and many people didn’t hear about the switch for a few years. Additionally, many people were set in their traditions and had no desire to change. Labeled as “backward folk” and “fools” by the general populace who had adopted the new calendar, these traditionalists became the butt of many jokes and were often sent on “fool’s errands” on that day.
Interestingly, according to www.april-fools.us, the people who had these pranks played on them became known as a “poisson d’avril” or “April fish” because a young and naive fish is easily caught.
Evolving over time, April Fool’s Day became known for its light-hearted high-jinks and during the 19th century, spread to other countries such as England and America. With its spread to other areas of the globe, the holiday began to take on various flavors corresponding to the different countries and cultures.
Scotland, for instance, actually celebrates for two days. The second day is known for mischief involving the buttocks and is called Taily Day. According to www.april-fools.us, “the origins of the Kick Me sign can be traced back to [this] Scottish observance.”
On the other side of the British Isles, in England, tricks are only played in the morning because it is considered bad luck to play a practical joke on someone after noon. The victims of the jokes are called ‘noodles.’
Some areas of the world celebrate the holiday on different days and under different names. Such as Rome where every March 25th the populace celebrates the Festival of Hilaria which is also known as “Roman Laughing Day.”
Through history, there have been many forms of mischief practiced on the general populace. Taken from www.museumofhoaxes.com, the following pranks rank as the top three April Fool’s Day hoaxes of all time:
1) In 1957 the respected BBC news show “Panorama” announced that “thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop.” It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in, and many called up wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti trees. To this question, the BBC diplomatically replied that they should “place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.”
2) Sports Illustrated in its April 1985 edition published a story about a new rookie pitcher, Sidd Finch, who planned to play for the Mets. Reportedly, Finch could throw a baseball with startling, pinpoint accuracy at 168 mph, though he had never played the game before. The article claimed he had mastered the “art of the pitch” in a Tibetan monastery under the guidance of the “great poet-saint Lama Milaraspa.” Sports Illustrated was flooded with requests for more information on this legendary player, unfortunately, he only existed in the imagination of the writer of the article, George Plimpton.
3) In 1996 the Taco Bell Corporation announced that it had bought the Liberty Bell from the federal government and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called up the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell is housed to express their anger. Their nerves were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed that it was all a practical joke a few hours later. The best line inspired by the affair came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale, and he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold, though to a different corporation, and would now be known as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.
Apparently, despite its lack of gifts, commercialism and opportunities for romance, April Fool’s Day still ranks highly in the hearts of people world-wide.
The Statesman wishes the best of luck in everyone’s April 1st tomfoolery!
-mattgo@cc.usu.edu