On April 1st, the world celebrates April Fools' Day. On this day, people engage in weird, amusing, and silly behaviors and deception from friends, co-workers, and even family members. Do you know what April Fool's Day is all about? Let's have a look at it!
It's one of the most cheerful days of the year, and it's marked by practical pranks and spreading hoaxes. April fools refer to both the pranks and the people who fall for them.
It has been celebrated for ages, although its roots of it are unknown. Some historians believe it was first observed in 1852, when France moved from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, while others believe it is linked to the changing of the seasons.
According to popular belief, the Romans began celebrating the new year in April, while in medieval Europe, New Year's Day is observed as a festival on March 25, but in 1852, Pope Gregory VIII established the Gregorian calendar (current Valid calendar), which started the new year in January.
Although France was the first to embrace this calendar, Janushruti claims that several people in Europe did not accept it and were unaware of it. As a result, individuals who celebrate the new year according to the new calendar see those who celebrate the new year in April according to the old calendar as fools, and the tradition of April Fool or Fool's Day has grown since then.
What are the folktales Associated With April Fool’s Day?
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In ancient Greece, there was a funny king named "Moxer." He had a dream that he was being swallowed alive by an ant. When his sleep was disturbed in the morning, he burst out laughing, recalling his dream. "Last night I saw in my dream that an ant swallowed me alive," he told his wife when she asked why he was laughing. When she heard this, the queen burst into laughter. The king was then advised by an astrologer that this dream meant "you should live with the day laughing and joking," and that it was April 1st. So, starting on April 1st, every year was celebrated as a day of laughter.
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According to another tale, an Apsara befriended the farmer and offered him a boon if he drank a pot of water in one breath. "You are very innocent," Apsara responded, "from today I offer you a boon that you will make others laugh with your brilliant words." The toiling farmer instantly scooped up a pot full of water and drank it all in one breath and requested Apsara for a boon. Then, from that time on, farmers started making people laugh, resulting in the formation of a festival of laughing known as Fool's Day.
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Once upon a time, in Spain, there was a king named "Mounto Ber." He announced a contest one day, saying that the person who wrote the most lies would be rewarded. Thousands of letters of "true lies" were sent to the king on the day of the contest, but the king was dissatisfied. Finally, a girl approached and stated, "Maharaja, I am deaf and blind." When the king heard this, he became perplexed and questioned, "What proof do you have that you are indeed blind?" "You can see the tree that has been planted in front of the palace, but I can't," the girl said. The king burst out laughing.
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In the year BC, four friends lived in the city of Athens. One of them considers himself to be extremely brilliant, and he likes putting others down. As a result, the other three friends came together and devised a deception, telling him that he had a strange dream the night before. We saw a goddess standing in front of us in the dream, telling us that a heavenly light will arise on the top of the hill tomorrow night and bestow the desired blessing, so you must bring all of your friends there.
The friend, who believes himself intelligent, was taken in by the dreams of his other friends. At a certain point, he and a few others went to the top of the mountain to see the divine light, while other friends hid to witness his smart friend's foolishness. Slowly, the crowd grew, and the moon and stars began to shine in the sky, but there was no indication of the divine light, and no names were revealed. It was April 1st, and every year since then, the tradition of fooling has been practiced in Athens. Other nations gradually embraced it and began deceiving their acquaintances on April 1st.
