April Fools’ Day is an annual tradition celebrated on April first. The holiday includes pranks and jokes, usually followed by an “April Fools!” For example, high school is the best! April Fools! Oh, wait, it’s March. Anyways, April Fools’ Day has been around for a while, even dating back to 1582, when the calendar was changed so that the new year started on January 1st, instead of April 1st, which it had previously been. Those who still celebrated the new year on April 1st were called April fools, and thus the iconic name was coined.
April Fools’ Day has also been linked to festivals such as Hilaria in ancient Rome. It was celebrated at the end of March, and included people dressing up in disguises and mocking fellow citizens. April Fools’ Day may also have been connected to the vernal equinox, because people were “fooled” by the changing weather. The tradition spread throughout Britain during the 18th century and was especially prevalent in Scotland, where people were sent on silly errands, unknowingly wore pinned tails, or walked around with a “kick me” sign on their back.
Nowadays, people dive headfirst into the fun tradition of tricking their friends, or maybe just anyone who will listen to their joke. For example, just last year, Lipton announced that they would be discontinuing their popular Peach Iced Tea. The next day, they revealed it was a prank by telling customers to buy a calendar as well. But these pranks did not pop up just recently. One of the most notable pranks occurred in 1856, when London residents received an official-looking invitation to watch the annual ceremony of “washing the lions.” However, the building at the address on the invitation had been closed for three years at the time. Those who showed up learned that they had fallen victim to an April Fools’ Day prank.
In 1957, the most memorable April Fools’ Day prank occurred. The “spaghetti grows on trees” prank is one that often shows up when searching for famous April Fools’ pranks. It began when the BBC aired a segment showing a farmer harvesting long strings of spaghetti from their spaghetti trees. Because it was 1957, spaghetti was still pretty exotic, and not many people knew about its origins. So, many people believed the spaghetti tree broadcast. When asked how to grow a spaghetti tree, the BBC replied, “Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.”
Heard of the Loch Ness Monster? Well, she was unknowingly involved in a prank by a worker at Yorkshire’s Flamingo Park Zoo. By dumping the body of a bull elephant seal into the lake, the worker, who intended to prank only his coworkers, showed that the Loch Ness Monster had died and resurfaced. This “news” quickly went viral, and it wasn’t just his coworkers who were fooled.
With April Fools’ Day coming up soon, consider bringing this fun into your own life with a harmless prank on your friends or family. Plus, the good vibes don’t end after the first of April. The spring rain, sun, and melting snow can lift anybody’s mood. So, there’s lots to look forward to in these coming weeks!
