I’m sure you’ve told a lie on April Fool’s Day, but have you ever wondered how that tradition started?
There are a few theories about how this day came to be; here you’ll learn about the most famous and oldest ones.
- Theory number one: Fools like a young fish in France
The most famous theory is that the tradition began in France after King Charles IX adopted the Gregorian calendar, which replaced the Julian calendar after Pope Gregory XIII noticed that the old system was ten days behind the actual calendar year and this would affect the seasons and the easter date. So it was necessary to add ten more days to the calendar and adjust the leap years.
That’s why the start of the new year changed from the late March/April to January 1st. The ones who refused to accept the change or were slow to hear the news continued to celebrate the new year on April 1st were mocked as “fools”. These “fools” were invited to fake parties and had paper fish placed on their backs. They were also called poisson d’avril (April fish) in France, because they were fools like a young fish.
- Theory number two: The Duke loses his glasses
Another theory comes from a proverb about the Dutch Victory (1572), “Op 1 april verloor Alva zijn bril,” refers to the Spanish Duke of Alva losing his glasses (bril) at the victory of Brielle.
- Theory number three: People are going crazy
The last theory was created in the town of Gotham. A British legend tells of a town in Nottinghamshire that tried to trick King John into avoiding their town for a hunting lodge by acting crazy (e.g., trying to drown a fish).
Well, as you could see, there are a lot of theories on how this tradition started. I hope that you enjoyed and used this day as a way to make each other’s lives funnier and lighthearted. Happy Fool ‘s Day!