April Fools’ Day
April 1
April fool!
There’s a spot on your nose!
Did you look to see? If you did, April fool! The joke is on you.
If you have a trick played on you in the United States, you are an
\”April fool.” In England, you might be called a \”noddy,” which means a
\”fool” or \”simpleton.” But if you live in England, don’t try to play
any tricks in the afternoon of All Fools’ Day. In England, tricks are
played only till noon. If you do try to play a trick in the afternoon,
you will probably hear this shout:
\”Up the ladder and down the wall, You’re the greatest fool of all!”
In Scotland, a person who is fooled by being sent on some foolish
errand—such as finding a left-handed monkey wrench—is said
to be \”hunting the gowk.” Gowk means \”cuckoo” or \”simpleton.”
And in France, a person who is fooled is called a poisson d’Avril,
which means \”April fish.” Why a \”fish”? No one is quite sure. Perhaps
it is because in April fish are young and easily caught. In France, as a
special treat, you can buy chocolate fish on April Fools’ Day.
The custom of playing harmless tricks on April 1 is said to have begun
in France more than four hundred years ago. At that time, New Year’s Day
was March 25. Celebrations went on through April 1, at which time people
exchanged New Year’s gifts.
Then, the French adopted a new calendar. New Year’s Day was switched
from March 25 to January 1. This confused many people for a long time.
On April 1, those who remembered the switch began to play tricks on
those who forgot.
