The History of APRIL FOOLS DAY
The History of April Fools' Day
"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year." --Mark Twain
How do you think April Fools' Day originated? Did some joker in biblical times decide to switch the frankincense and the myrrh? Was there a historic epidemic of spring fever-tomfoolery in a tiny Finnish town in the early 1800s? Did a New Yorker in 1910 find a cockroach in his coffee cup and decide to recreate the experience for his officemate, thereby sparking a famous April 1 lawsuit? In a convincing testimonial to the saying that truth is stranger than fiction, we'll tell you the story, or at least present the most viable theory, of how April Fools' Day came to be.
Once upon a time, back in 16th-century France, before computers, people celebrated New Year's Day on March 25, the advent of spring. It was a festive time. They partied steadily until April 1. In 1564, when the calendar reformed and became Gregorian, King Charles IX proclaimed, perhaps pompously, that New Year's Day should be celebrated on January 1 instead of in the spring. Diehard conservatives resisted the change (or perhaps didn't hear about it due to the absence of e-mail) and continued to celebrate New Year's from March 25 to April 1. During this period of spring festivity, the more flexible French mocked the rigid revelers by sending them foolish gifts and invitations to non-existentparties. The victim of an April Fools' Day prank was called a "poisson d'avril," or an "April fish," because at that time of year, the sun was leaving the zodiacal sign of Pisces. April Fools' Day hit its stride (avoiding the banana peel) in England in the 18th century, and was brought to colonial America by the English, Scottish, and French. No fooling.
Thanks to my friend, Shell, for this information!
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Got any really funny April Fools pranks? Let me know about them and I will post some on this page!
Every week or so, sometimes as much as once a day when things get busy, I send out a jokemail to a small private list of friends and family. The jokes are almost always sexual, politically incorrect and often bad enough to make you blush! They come with attachments often. Would you like to be one of the lucky few to recieve this email? If you would, just drop me a line to
MOONLICKED@AOL.COM
Please be sure to put "Jokemail Request" in the subject line so I dont inadvertantly delete your email with the overabundance of spam I recieve.
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