April Fools Day
The History of April Fool's Day
April Fool's Day is one of the most fun and funniest days of the year. No, we don't get the day off work and there is no such thing as an April Fool's Tree ... but it is a real holiday, gosh-golly! And should be treated as such. Any day dedicated to pranks, fun and laughter is right up our alley.
The origins of April Fool's Day is not entirely certain. Some believe that the celebration of "All Fools Day," now known as April Fool's Day, evolved simultaneously among several cultures from their various celebrations of spring.
Most sources we've found trace April Fool's Day back to sixteenth-century France. The year is 1582 and a new calendar, the Gregorian Calendar, was introduced under the reign of Charles IX by Pope Gregory XIII. This new calendar declared January 1st as the start of the new year. The new year under the previous calendar, the Julian Calendar, was a week long celebration from March 25th through April 1st.
The internet didn't exist in the sixteenth-century. There were no phones, television, telegraphs or even a Pony Express in the 1500's. Bottom line ... communication was slow back then. And it took some time to get the word out that the start of the new year now began on January 1st. Not only was communication an issue, but simple acceptance of the Gregorian Calendar made the change problematic. Many French and other Europeans resisted acceptance of the new calendar ... Scotland resisted until 1660; Germany, Denmark, and Norway until 1700; and England until 1752.
Those that had accepted January 1st as the start of the new year began to play tricks on those who continued to celebrate the new year on April 1st. Either through simple jesting and teasing, common among people of different beliefs, or used as a humiliation tactic to pressure these late adopters into accepting the Gregorian Calendar, April Fool's Day was born.
Those still celebrating the new year on April 1st were labeled as "fools" and often sent on "fool's errands." And now you know the accepted origin of April Fool's Day.
It wasn't until 1752, when Great Britain finally changed over to the Gregorian Calendar, that April Fool's Day began to be celebrated in England and in the American colonies.
Practical Jokes and Pranks
We hope the above history of April Fool's Day has gotten you excited and your creative prankster juices flowing. History can do that to people. If it got you excited, but not creative enough to inspire your best April Fool's Day ever ... take a look at what the Museum of Hoaxes has to offer with their article, "The Top 100 April Fools Day Hoaxes of All Time."
For more prank and practical joke ideas, you can always come to QualityBargainz.com, where every day is April Fool's Day! We currently have over 65 prank ideas posted on our site. If these don't inspire you ... nothing will. It is free to see, and cheap to shop. There is still time to get your own prank item before the celebration begins!
Happy April Fool's Day!!!
-----------------------------------------------
Thanks,
QualityBargainz, LLC
April Fool's Day is one of the most fun and funniest days of the year. No, we don't get the day off work and there is no such thing as an April Fool's Tree ... but it is a real holiday, gosh-golly! And should be treated as such. Any day dedicated to pranks, fun and laughter is right up our alley.
The origins of April Fool's Day is not entirely certain. Some believe that the celebration of "All Fools Day," now known as April Fool's Day, evolved simultaneously among several cultures from their various celebrations of spring.
Most sources we've found trace April Fool's Day back to sixteenth-century France. The year is 1582 and a new calendar, the Gregorian Calendar, was introduced under the reign of Charles IX by Pope Gregory XIII. This new calendar declared January 1st as the start of the new year. The new year under the previous calendar, the Julian Calendar, was a week long celebration from March 25th through April 1st.
The internet didn't exist in the sixteenth-century. There were no phones, television, telegraphs or even a Pony Express in the 1500's. Bottom line ... communication was slow back then. And it took some time to get the word out that the start of the new year now began on January 1st. Not only was communication an issue, but simple acceptance of the Gregorian Calendar made the change problematic. Many French and other Europeans resisted acceptance of the new calendar ... Scotland resisted until 1660; Germany, Denmark, and Norway until 1700; and England until 1752.
Those that had accepted January 1st as the start of the new year began to play tricks on those who continued to celebrate the new year on April 1st. Either through simple jesting and teasing, common among people of different beliefs, or used as a humiliation tactic to pressure these late adopters into accepting the Gregorian Calendar, April Fool's Day was born.
Those still celebrating the new year on April 1st were labeled as "fools" and often sent on "fool's errands." And now you know the accepted origin of April Fool's Day.
It wasn't until 1752, when Great Britain finally changed over to the Gregorian Calendar, that April Fool's Day began to be celebrated in England and in the American colonies.
Practical Jokes and Pranks
We hope the above history of April Fool's Day has gotten you excited and your creative prankster juices flowing. History can do that to people. If it got you excited, but not creative enough to inspire your best April Fool's Day ever ... take a look at what the Museum of Hoaxes has to offer with their article, "The Top 100 April Fools Day Hoaxes of All Time."
For more prank and practical joke ideas, you can always come to QualityBargainz.com, where every day is April Fool's Day! We currently have over 65 prank ideas posted on our site. If these don't inspire you ... nothing will. It is free to see, and cheap to shop. There is still time to get your own prank item before the celebration begins!
Happy April Fool's Day!!!
-----------------------------------------------
Thanks,
QualityBargainz, LLC
posted by QualityBargainz, LLC @ 7:51 AM
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