Look Out, It's April Fools' Day by Frank Modell

Easter is a movable, lunar-based date but often falls in April, so it’s said that early adopters dubbed people celebrating the old New Year “April fools.”Īnother theory suggests that April 1st became the fool’s holiday in the late Middle Ages due to Geoffrey Chaucer’s 14th century collection, The Canterbury Tales, wherein Chaucer includes a playful reference to “32 March,” or April 1st, in “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale.” However, most scholars consider it to have been a mere copying error. One story goes that April Fools’ Day began with France’s 1564 Edict of Roussillon, which decreed that New Year’s Day, historically observed on Easter by Christians, was moved to January 1 as France switched to the Gregorian calendar from the Julian calendar. Nevertheless, theories abound, of course.

The true origins of April Fools’ Day remain unknown and are probably lost to history, which means trying to solve the mystery is likely itself a fool’s errand. For pranksters and mischievous older siblings all around the world, April Fools’ Day, also called All Fools’ Day, is as eagerly anticipated as Christmas.Īfter all, what other holiday encourages you to think up practical jokes and fool’s errands, from swapping your spouse’s keys to tricking your friend into thinking their car got towed? (Not cool, Steve.)īut how did this odd, prank-centric holiday come to be celebrated in the first place, and why is it called April Fools’ Day? Where did April Fools’ Day come from?

Look Out, It's April Fools' Day by Frank Modell