Why Is April 1 a Day to Celebrate Foolishness?

man with "kick me" sign — There's some uncertainty about when and where this bizarre tradition of people playing pranks began, but most people blame France. mediaphotos/Getty Images

Some holidays honor heroes. Others commemorate religious events. April 1st is the rare holiday that celebrates foolishness.

What other holiday is about people playing practical jokes on our unsuspecting friends and acquaintances? When else do we expect people to forgive us for causing them confusion and embarrassment, just by yelling "April Fools!"

Let's take a look at the possible origins of April Fools' as a holiday, famous April Fools' pranks over the decades and other April Fools' Day trivia.

Contents

A Brief History of April Fools
April Fish?
Which Other Holidays Are Similar to April Fools' Day?
5 Epic April Fools' Day Pranks Over the Years
7 Celebrities With April 1 Birthdays

A Brief History of April Fools

There's some uncertainty about when and where April Fools' Day, aka All Fools Day (but not April Fool's Day), began, but one common explanation traces this tradition back to 16th-century France.

Up until 1564, the accepted calendar was the Julian calendar, which observed the beginning of the New Year around April. According to "The Oxford Companion to the Year," King Charles IX then declared that France would begin using the Gregorian calendar, which shifted New Year's Day to Jan. 1.

Not everyone accepted this shifting of dates at the same time. Some believed that the dates should not be shifted, and it was these people who became the butt of some April jokes and were mocked as fools for celebrating the new year on the wrong day.

People sent gifts to their (least) favorite April Fool and invited them to bogus parties. Citizens in the rural parts of France were also victims of these jokes. In those days, news traveled slowly, and they might not have known about the shifting of dates for months or years.

April Fish?

Today in France, people who are fooled on April 1 are called Poisson d'Avril, which literally means the "April Fish." The origins of this are also murky. It may have come from a prank that fishermen used to play pranks on each other, literally hooking a fish to each other's backs.

Nowadays, French kids might tape a paper fish or cardboard fish to a classmate's back without them knowing it.

Some believe that the fish is tied to Jesus Christ, who was often represented as a fish in early Christian times. It could be related to Lent, which leads into April 1, where Christians traditionally couldn't eat meat but could eat fish.

Others say the fish is related to the zodiac sign of Pisces, which is represented by a fish, and falls near April.

Which Other Holidays Are Similar to April Fools' Day?

In ancient Rome, the festival of Hilaria celebrated the renewal of life and the resurrection of the god Attis. Hilaria, in Latin, means "the cheerful ones." Today, Hilaria, celebrated on March 25, is also known as "Roman Laughing Day," and some of the celebrations are similar to the hijinks of April Fools' Day.

In India, the Holi festival celebrates the arrival of spring in mid-March. Though the cultural tradition is more about renewal, joy and triumph, it shares a similar mischievous spirit as April Fools' Day. As a part of that festival, people smear colors and throw water on each other.

5 Epic April Fools' Day Pranks Over the Years

Which April Fools' Day prank blew your mind?

In 1957, the BBC aired a segment about Swiss farmers harvesting spaghetti from trees, convincing pre-Internet viewers that they could get their own spaghetti trees.
In 1996, Taco Bell announced that it had purchased the Liberty Bell and renamed it Taco Liberty Bell.
In 1998, Burger King introduced a "Left-Handed Whopper," designed for left-handed Americans. All the ingredients were rotated 180 degrees.
In 2013, Google introduced Google Nose to help users search for scents.
In 2015, Netflix introduced silly fake genre categories for their users, including "Movies That Will Make You Pee Your Pants Laughing," "Reality TV About People with No Concept of Reality," "Reality Shows That Make You Feel Better About Your Family," "Movies Featuring an Epic Nicolas Cage Meltdown" and, of course, "Movies That Are in English but Still Require Subtitles."

7 Celebrities With April 1 Birthdays

Actor Toshiro Mifune was born on April 1, 1920.
Actress Debbie Reynolds was born on April 1, 1932.
Justice Samuel Alito was born on April 1, 1950.
Singer Susan Boyle was born on April 1, 1961.
Actor David Oyelowo was born on April 1, 1976.
Actress Mackenzie Davis was born on April 1, 1987.
Logan Paul, a YouTube celebrity, was born on April 1, 1995.

April 1 FAQ

Which celebrities have April 1 birthdays?

No widely known celebrities have April 1 birthdays. Logan Paul, a YouTube celebrity widely known by Gen Z and Gen Y, was born on April 1, 1995.

What happens on April Fools' Day?

April Fools' Day is a day for pranks and jokes on unsuspecting friends, family members and co-workers.

Where did April Fools' Day come from?

There's some uncertainty about when and where April Fools' Day or "All Fools Day" began, but the most accepted explanation traces it back to 16th-century France. Up until 1564, the Julian calendar was used, which observed the beginning of the New Year around April. However, King Charles IX declared that France would begin using the Gregorian calendar, shifting New Year's Day to Jan. 1. Some people staunchly believed that the dates should not be shifted, and it was those people who became the butt of some April jokes, were mocked as fools and invited to bogus parties.

What national holidays are celebrated on April 1st?

In ancient Rome, the festival of Hilaria (now called Roman Laughing Day) was thrown on April 1 to celebrate the resurrection of the god Attis. In India, the Holi festival celebrates the arrival of spring on April 1, during which people play jokes and smear colors on each other.