April Fools’ Day 2021 | How April 1 became April Fools’ Day – origin and history
April Fools’ Day is an annual custom on April 1 consisting of jokes and hoaxes. The true origins of April Fools’ Day are probably lost to history, but theories abound, of course. Take a look…
April Fools’ Day is an annual custom on April 1 consisting of jokes and hoaxes. The true origins of April Fools’ Day are probably lost to history, but theories abound, of course. Take a look… (Image: News18 Creative)
There is no consensus on when April Fools' Day began. Some historians believe that it began in 1582 when many countries switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. That year, ten days were eliminated from the calendar to bring it back on schedule with the solar year. (Image: News18 Creative)
People who were slow to get the news continued to celebrate the new year during the last week of March. They became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called "April fools." (Image: News18 Creative)
Some historians have linked April Fools' Day to festivals such as Hilaria (Latin for joyful). Some people believe that April Fools' Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather.(Image: News18 Creative)
Originally, there was no apostrophe. The term April fool dates back to the 1600s. Early records from the 1700s name it April Fool Day. An apostrophized April Fools’ Day was recorded by the 1800s. This is also around when April fool came to refer to the trick itself. Nowadays, it is stylized both as April Fool’s Day, emphasizing an April fool as a singular concept, and April Fools’ Day, indicating plural April fools, whether the people or the pranks. (Image: News18 Creative)