April 1 is celebrated as April Fools’ Day across the world. The day is celebrated by people playing pranks and practical jokes with their friends. At the end of the joke, people yell April Fools’ Day. These pranks and hoaxes can vary in degree and nature, but the intent is to keep it light and funny and make the other person play a fool. The day was first celebrated in France and other European Countries, but slowly other countries also started celebrating and observing this day.
On the occasion of April Fools’ Day, here are some of the lesser-known facts about the day:
History and Significance
While there are many stories that suggest how the day came into existence, there is one that is commonly believed according to historians. Some historians have suggested that the day was first observed in 1582 after France switched to the Gregorian Calendar from Julian Calendar. According to the Julian Calendar, the New Year began on the 1st of April just like the Hindu calendar, that is during the spring equinox.
The Julian Calendar also did not reflect the correct and actual time the Earth used to take to complete one revolution around the sun, hence the shift to Gregorian Calendar. However, according to the Gregorian Calendar, the New Year was celebrated on 1st January.
While France became the first country to implement this change and accept the Gregorian Calendar, many other countries started accepting it slowly and therefore were subjected to being called April Fools, since they were still following the Julian Calendar instead of Gregorian Calendar. According to some reports, it took almost 300 years for all the countries to accept and implement the Gregorian Calendar.
Eventually, the day gained prominence in Britain in the 18th century and was also celebrated in different parts of Europe.
On this day, people can get over almost anything without guilt and often play out pranks that are harmless.
