April Fool’s Day, also known as All Fool’s Day, is celebrated annually on the first day of April. It is a time for people to play practical jokes and pranks on each other, crack jokes on the expense of victims and gift each other gag gifts and then when the victims are taken in by surprise, all the witnesses shout “April Fool” at once. The innocent pranks such as prompting somebody that their shoelaces are undone or that they have something on their faces are quite common. Children love to use the opportunity to prank their classmates and even their schoolteachers. The victim of such a prank being called an April Fool.

The origins of this custom are somewhat uncertain, but may have initially been related to the arrival of spring in late March, at which time Mother Nature is said to “fool” the human race with sudden and fickle changes in the weather...showers one minute and sunshine the next. It is generally accepted that the All Fool’s Day tradition began in France during the 16th century, when the beginning of the New Year was observed on April 1 and was celebrated in much the same way as New Year today with parties and dancing late into the night. In 1582, however, during the reign of King Charles IX, Pope Gregory introduced a revised calendar for the Christian world wherein the New Year fell on January 1. Since it took some time, possibly even years, for many people to even hear word of the change (communications being what they were in the 16th century) and since others obstinately refused to accept such reform or simply forgot, New Year’s Day continued to be celebrated on the first day of April in many areas. Individuals who had accepted the dates of the new calendar played tricks on those who had not and referred to the unfortunate victims of such pranks as “April Fools”, sending them on a “fool’s errand” (an invitation to a non-existent party, for example) or attempting to make them believe that something was true which was actually false. Over time, this practice evolved into an annual tradition of April 1 prank-playing, eventually migrating to England and Scotland during the 18th century and thus, introduced to the American colonies by British and French settlers.

April Fool’s Day is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, enemies, and neighbors, or sending them on a fool’s errand, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. The victim is advised to endure the tricks with a smile on their face, exhibiting tolerance or amusement or they may suffer bad luck. It is said that those fooled by a pretty girl can expect marriage or at least friendship with her. Men are advised not to marry on this day or their wives will rule them forever. Children born on 1st of April are considered lucky generally, except in gambling where they will fare badly.

Traditionally, in some countries, such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an “April Fool”. Elsewhere, such as in Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Russia, the Netherlands, and the U.S., the jokes last all day.

The style of April Fool’s pranks has changed over the years. Sending unsuspecting parties on pointless errands was a particularly prized practical joke in the early history of the celebrations. Today, however, it is often a time of initiation rites into a club or group, especially by the adult population, and it is the children who appear to truly celebrate the day complete with its original sense of abandon. Otherwise, modern pranks tend to center more around bogus telephone calls and media-driven foolery.

In sum, All Fool’s Day is a “for fun only” observance—a time when nobody is expected to buy gifts, receive cards or spend money and there are no vacations from work or school. The primary force behind April Fool’s Day jokes and pranks is that they should not be harmful but able to be enjoyed by everyone—especially the person upon whom the joke is played.