Wikipedia says that:
Precursors of April Fools' Day include the Roman festival of Hilaria, held March 25,[2] and the Medieval Feast of Fools, held December 28,[3] still a day on which pranks are played in Spanish-speaking countries.
In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392), the "Nun's Priest's Tale" is set Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two.[4]Modern scholars believe that there is a copying error in the extant manuscripts and that Chaucer actually wrote,Syn March was gon.[5] Thus, the passage originally meant 32 days after April, i.e. May 2,[6] the anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia, which took place in 1381. Readers apparently misunderstood this line to mean "March 32", i.e. April 1.[7] In Chaucer's tale, the vain cock Chauntecleer is tricked by a fox.
In 1508, French poet Eloy d'Amerval referred to a poisson d’avril (April fool, literally "April fish"), a possible reference to the holiday.[8] In 1539, Flemish poet Eduard de Dene wrote of a nobleman who sent his servants on foolish errands on April 1.[6] In 1686, John Aubrey referred to the holiday as "Fooles holy day", the first British reference.[6] On April 1, 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to "see the Lions washed".[6]
In the Middle Ages, up until the late 18th century, New Year's Day was celebrated on March 25 (Feast of the Annunciation) in most European towns.[9] In some areas of France, New Year's was a week-long holiday ending on April 1.[2][3] Many writers suggest that April Fools originated because those who celebrated on January 1 made fun of those who celebrated on other dates.[2] The use of January 1 as New Year's Day was common in France by the mid-16th century,[6] and this date was adopted officially in 1564 by the Edict of Roussillon.
A study in the 1950s, by folklorists Iona and Peter Opie, found that in the UK and those countries whose traditions derived from there, the joking ceased at midday.[10] But this practice appears to have lapsed in more recent years.
I know, I have no idea what they're talking about either. All I got from that was the confirmation that people have been mean to each other for a very long time, even dating back to the 16th century. And nothing has really changed. But either way, I've loved this day since I was a kid. It's the day when you have 24 hours, well I guess only 12 because apparently the fun stops mid-day, to let your wicked, fiendish, diabolical, creative juices flow. I'm no good at it, believe me if I were to become a criminal I'd hardly be able to steal a paperclip. 'Course no one ever realizes their paperclips are stolen until they need one, its the perfect crime... April Fools'! I promise never to steal anything from you! You're too nice. Anyway, I like this day because seeing the person's face when you shout "April Fools'!" is priceless, and then you get to laugh with them about how stupid they were, and how clever you are, and telling the story over and over again to your other friends even though they don't understand how putting salt on their toothbrush, or a rubber band over the dish sprayer, or plastic wrap over the toilet seat, or toothpaste instead of oreo filling is at all funny. But I will admit, some of the pranks can be a bit mean, and if you know a certain person won't take it very well then don't put salt in their morning coffee instead of sugar. That will not put them in a good mood and I doubt they would feel so inclined to give you that promotion you were hoping for. So whatever happens today, just have fun. Live everyday to the fullest and be kind to one another, at least for the other 364 days of the year! Sincerely, Sam
No comments:
Post a Comment