In Scotland, April Fools’ Day is celebrated over two days and is called ‘April Gowk’ or ‘Hunt the Gowk’, with Gowk meaning ‘cuckoo’!
South Africa (31 March 2024) – I remember waking up on a usually warm and humid day in Durban when I was a child and seeing my mum run towards me with big hand gestures and exclaiming, ‘’Look out the window, it’s snowing.’’ Without skipping a beat I ran to the window, thinking it would be near impossible for my mother to lie about what I believed was a conclusive statement. I soon realised that the joke was on me, I had been had and made an ‘April fool’.
This is one of my earliest memories of an April Fools’ prank, which I’m sure just like you, is more unpleasant than funny if you’re on the receiving end. April Fools’ Day is celebrated on 1 April around the world as a day filled with pranks or hoaxes. This tradition has even been adopted by TV stations, news publications and just about anyone.
But where did this tradition begin and why do we still partake in it? Well, the origin is not precisely known. Some historians believe April Fools’ Day dates back to the 16th century, when France switched calendars from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar started with the spring equinox on 1 January and the Julian on 1 April. If we were told in the year 2024 that our year would start on a new day and month, one can imagine the chaos and defiance that would ensue, as was the case in the 16th century. Many objected to the change and with the absence of social media, received the news late. So those still celebrating in spring, were made an April fool. Some were shamed by having a fish made out of paper placed on their backs and called ‘poisson d’Avril’ or ‘April fish’.
Other theories for the origin of April Fools’ Day go back to ancient Rome, when a festival called Hilaria, meaning ‘cheerful’, was celebrated on 25th March. Romans did not reference the beginning of the month with a number, such as 1 April, instead they would say ‘the calends of April’, so March 25th was called ‘the eighth of the Calends of April,’ which associates the festival with April Fools’ Day. People would gather, dressed in disguises to imitate others and commemorate the resurrection of God Attis, the god of vegetation.
There is no concrete evidence of this but we do know that April Fools’ Day pranking dates back to the Renaissance, when many were sent on ‘fool’s errands’. But, the tradition has evolved through time. In the early 1900s, hats were laid on the street with rocks underneath awaiting a poor passer-by and coins were heated with cigarettes and left on the ground.
In 1998, Burger King cooked up the Left-Handed Whopper. Saying that all the condiments were rotated at 180° for the convenience of the left-handed burger consumer, which many waited in line for. In 2023, Chris Pratt announced on Instagram that he would have the lead voice in Disney’s Mickey Mouse, which he later announced was an April Fools’ joke.
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Always Online, Always Exhausted? Experts Share 5 Ways to Take Back Your Life!Whether you choose to ignore the day or are the Ashton Kutcher of pulling pranks, I think it is a reminder to be light-hearted and not take life so seriously. It’s a day to remind ourselves that harmless, child-like fun keeps us young and we shouldn’t take our mistakes seriously. As they say in Columbia, “Pásala por Inocentes”, which translates to, “Let it go; today it’s Innocent’s Day.”
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