HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY by Sheryl Jordan

 

April Fool’s Day, also called All Fool’s Day, is celebrated annually by different cultures around the world on April 1^st. While the celebration may be different for each culture, the common theme includes playing hoaxes or practical jokes on others, often yelling “April Fools!” afterward to signify the April Fool’s Day prank.

I never really thought about how April Fool’s Day came into existence until I began researching it for this blog. The origins of April Fool’s Day remain a mystery, but many theories exist.

Some theories say it dates back to the 1500s in various countries where people were told about different events happening and they would travel to see the event, but it didn’t exist. This was known as a “fool’s errand.”

Others believe April Fool’s Day occurred when France switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in the 16^th century. The Julian calendar began in March celebrating the spring equinox until April 1. When they switched, the new year began on January 1^st. Many people were not informed of the change right away due to the slow travel of news during that time. Some people were not willing to change the celebration of the new year. Those who continued to celebrate on April 1^st were often ridiculed and the subject of pranks and jokes.

A biblical theory suggests April Fool’s Day originated when the biblical character Noah is said to have mistakenly sent a dove out on April 1 to find dry land before the waters subsided. Whatever the origin, it seems that April Fool’s Day may have been around for centuries. Perhaps it is human nature for some people to enjoy playing jokes on others. Some pranks are as simple as placing notes on friends' backs saying “kick me” or other phrases. Some are elaborately planned for months and executed with precision.

Companies have reportedly placed ads that were pranks over the years. With our current state of technology, pranking is now done on social media sites and via text messages.

Some people prank each other any chance they get, whether on April Fool’s Day or any other day of the year.

I remember one year when I was about twelve years old, my brother set our sister’s alarm clock ahead three hours so when her alarm went off, she got up, showered, dressed, and was ready for school by 5:00 AM. She wondered why it was still dark outside. She came into my bedroom and woke me up saying I was going to be late for school. I looked at my clock and asked her what she was talking about and showed her it was only 5:00 in the morning. She went and checked her clock and realized her clock time had been set ahead. We heard our brother laughing in his room. He opened his door and said April Fools! We all laughed but she got him back though. That night when he fell asleep, she put a lot of toothpaste on his pillow so when he turned in his sleep it got all over his face!

We have all heard of pranks people do on people or have done them themselves. Some are harmless, while others are not. I remember the popular prank in high school was to pull the chair out when someone was going to sit down so they would fall on the floor. One time a classmate decided to do this to another student, and the student ended up injuring her tailbone and was out of school for a couple of weeks.         Needless to say, the prankster was suspended from school for a week.

Another prank I heard about was a manager in a meeting with other managers and senior personnel when he stood up and announced he was quitting because he couldn’t take the pressure of the work any longer. Everyone around the room was shocked and stared at him. After a few minutes, he sat down and yelled “April Fool’s!” He almost lost his job over this prank.

Sometimes I can be my own prankster or fool myself when I write. At times I read what I write and think this is really great, but when I start editing I ask myself, “What were you thinking when you wrote this?” Other times I think “this is awful,” but when others read my work, they say it is really good. I have learned to stop pranking myself and just keep writing and editing.

Have you heard of any great pranks? What pranks have you been on the receiving end of or have done to someone?

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Links to April Fool's Day information and pranks:

https://www.rd.com/article/origin-of-april-fools-day/

https://nationaltoday.com/april-fools-day/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools%27_Day

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/g31094996/best-april-fools-pranks/

https://www.today.com/life/holidays/april-fools-pranks-rcna75932