On this day we are allowed to tell lies to trick or amuse someone or to play pranks to surprise our friends. The custom of April Fools’ Day still holds up well after so many hundreds of years. But how did it start and why are we dedicating this day to the art of deception?
April 1, fools dayPhoto: Buings Sow / Alamy / Alamy / Profimedia
Washing … lions
The first recorded “documented” hoax comes from 1847 in Great Britain, when tickets were issued to witness the washing of… lions in the Tower of London. Of course, the event never happened.
However, the roots of this April 1st custom seem to be much older, with two versions that talk about the creators of April Fools’ Day: the first leads us to Celtic traditions and the second to France in the 16th century.
Celtic fishermen
A people from northwestern Europe, the Celts, were keen fishermen. The fishing season started on April 1 – a time when fish are very hard to catch.
Many fishermen had to… lie about how many fish they had caught, “inflating” the amount of fish.
This custom extended to other aspects of daily life and was not limited to the performance of fishermen.
New Year (but old)
The second version, which is considered to be more historically sound, wants the birthplace of the custom to be France in the 16th century. Until 1564, the French New Year was celebrated on April 1st.
The date of the New Year’s celebration changed during the reign of Charles IX. Only, at first, not all citizens accepted this and continued to celebrate the old New Year’s Day (April 1)
The others, to tease them, sent them gifts as a joke on April 1st. Over time these teasings became generalized and became an April 1 custom.
