Jokers Wild! April Fool s Day
April 1st, otherwise known as April Fool s Day or
All Fool s Day, is a day dedicated to foolishness and hoaxes. Hopefully,
the worst thing that can fall upon a hapless victim is a case of profound
embarrassment. But beware! You might never know what hit you.
Several speculative view points, as to the origin to this innocent celebration,
exist. The one constant is that this day is a relic of some vernal equinox
which began on the 25th of March, the beginning of the old New Year s
Day, and its culmination on the 2nd of April.
It has also been suggested that France was responsible for the introduction
of April-fooling in Europe. By the decree of Charles IX, France was one
of the first nations to make January 1st its official New Year s Day,
in 1564. The gifts and visits to friends that had been a feature of April
1st were then transferred to January 1st. Citizens who protested the change
in dates, or had not become cognizant of the change, were fair game for
those wags and bon vivants who were easily entertained by sending ersatz
gifts on April 1st.
It was not until the dawning of the 18th century that participation in
April 1st tomfoolery become a common practice.
The practice followed in Scotland was called hunting the gowk (the cuckoo)
and April-fools were called April-gowks, the cuckoo regarded there as
a term of disdain.
In France, fools were branded as poisson d avril (fish of April) on the
assumption that April fish were young fish and therefore easily caught,
as a gullible or naive person might be. Originally, a dead fish was placed
upon the back of the fool-to-be but that has been replaced by a paper
cutout.
In England, it is an unwritten law that pranks are meant to be pulled
only before 12 noon. The British call their fools gobs or gobby and the
victim of a joke is called a noodle. Practical jokes committed after noon
are considered to be bad luck.
The people of Rome, Italy celebrate the resurrection of the god Attis
on March 25th. This day is called Roman Laughing Day.
The Portuguese celebrate April Fool s Day the Sunday and Monday before
Lent by throwing flour at their friends.
India celebrates the Huli Festival on March 31st. Jokes are played and
colors smeared upon one another to celebrate the arrival of Spring.
Over time, innocent harassment evolved into a custom of prank playing
on April 1st. After spreading to places such as Scotland and Britain in
the 18th century, the tradition of prank-playing was introduced to the
American colonies, leading to the holiday taking on an international flavor.
The very first record of an April Fool s Day prank was printed in Drake
s News Letter in 1698. Londoners received cards inviting them to the
Tower of London to view the washing of the lions on April 1st. The lions
had been removed from the Tower previously, as was realized by the invitees
to the bath. For many years, Londoners repeated this prank on gullible
rural visitors.
In 1957, BBC television in London perpetrated a famous hoax. They insisted
that the dreaded pest, the spaghetti weevil, had been conquered in Switzerland
and it was now safe for the Swiss to harvest spaghetti from their trees.
The BBC was inundated by callers wanting to know how to cultivate their
own spaghetti trees!
Not everyone enjoys being embarrassed on April Fool s Day, no matter how
innocent the prank. Aphrilophobia is the fear of April Fool s Day.
There are many phobias relating to the practices of the day which are
considered social phobias because they involve some instance of public
embarrassment or humiliation. These include:
- Katagelophobia - fear of ridicule or embarrassment
- Neophobia - fear of something new
- Scopophobia - fear of being stared at
- Ereuthophobia - fear of blushing
- Mythophobia - fear of making a false statement
- Traumatophobia - fear of being emotionally wounded or injured
Remember, when contemplating what prank to play on which victim, consider your victim s personality before making a horrible mistake. Some victims suffer anything from mild anxiety to full-blown anxiety attacks. If in doubt, do not do it. Hurting a person s feelings about themselves is never a joke. Would you want the prank played on you?
