April Fools' Day

April Fools' Day
File:Aprilfoolsday.jpg A classic April Fools' Day prank: a whoopee cushion
Type	Cultural
Significance	A day for playing practical jokes and hoaxes
Date	April 1
Frequency	annual

April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day is an annual celebration in many countries on April 1. On this day, people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other. The jokes and their victims are called "April fools". The pranks are often revealed by shouting "April Fool!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may be revealed as such the following day.

History

The origins of April Fools' Day are uncertain. Some historians speculate that it dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. In the Julian Calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes.

Another theory suggests that April Fools' Day is tied to the Hilaria festival celebrated in ancient Rome at the end of March by followers of the cult of Cybele. It involved people dressing up in disguises.

Traditions

April Fools' Day is widely recognized and celebrated in various countries as a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other. The day is not a public holiday in any country except for Odessa in Ukraine, where it is an official city holiday.

In the UK, an April fool joke is revealed by shouting "April fool!" at the recipient, who becomes the "April fool". In Scotland, April Fools' Day was traditionally called "Huntigowk Day", although this name has fallen into disuse.

In France, April Fools' Day is known as "Poisson d'Avril" (April Fish). French children sometimes tape a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates, crying "Poisson d'Avril!" when the prank is discovered.

Notable Pranks

Over the years, there have been many notable April Fools' Day pranks:

• In 1957, the BBC broadcast a report on the "spaghetti tree" in Switzerland, showing farmers harvesting spaghetti from trees. Many viewers were fooled and contacted the BBC for advice on growing their own spaghetti trees.

• In 1996, Taco Bell announced it had purchased the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the "Taco Liberty Bell". The company later revealed it was a joke.

• In 2015, Google introduced "Google Maps Pac-Man", allowing users to play Pac-Man on real-world streets in Google Maps.

Also see

• Practical joke
• Hoax
• Satire
• Humor
• List of practical joke topics