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What is April Fools' Day? |
by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
In many different countries around the world, the first day of April is known as April Fools’ Day, or All Fools’ Day. Just like its name implies, April Fools’ is a day when people often try to pull practical jokes on one another!
There are lots of ideas about when and why April 1st may have become a day for practical jokes. Some people say, for example, that it has to do with changes made to the calendar about 400 years ago, in the year 1582. Prior to the “new” calendar, many people had observed New Year’s Day on April 1st. When changes were made to have January 1st as New Year’s, those who still tried to celebrate it in April were known as “April Fools”! In this explanation, the tradition to play jokes on April 1st probably came from teasing people for celebrating the “wrong” New Year’s!
Many people think April Fools’ is a very fun day to be silly and joke around. Playing little jokes can be pretty amusing, as long as you remember to make sure none of your jokes will embarrass, hurt, or scare anyone!
Laugh it up!
Have you ever played a silly joke on April 1st, or had one played on you? What are some clever ideas you can think of? One funny thing might be to replace the cream-filling in a sandwich cookie with white toothpaste, instead! When you offer the cookie to someone, they'll get a big minty mouthful instead of cream-flavored filling!
In France, someone who falls for an April Fools’ Day trick is known as “poisson d’avril,” or “an April fish.” It’s traditional to stick a paper fish to someone’s back without that person noticing! – How silly!
There are lots of ideas about when and why April 1st may have become a day for practical jokes. Some people say, for example, that it has to do with changes made to the calendar about 400 years ago, in the year 1582. Prior to the “new” calendar, many people had observed New Year’s Day on April 1st. When changes were made to have January 1st as New Year’s, those who still tried to celebrate it in April were known as “April Fools”! In this explanation, the tradition to play jokes on April 1st probably came from teasing people for celebrating the “wrong” New Year’s!
Many people think April Fools’ is a very fun day to be silly and joke around. Playing little jokes can be pretty amusing, as long as you remember to make sure none of your jokes will embarrass, hurt, or scare anyone!
Laugh it up!
Have you ever played a silly joke on April 1st, or had one played on you? What are some clever ideas you can think of? One funny thing might be to replace the cream-filling in a sandwich cookie with white toothpaste, instead! When you offer the cookie to someone, they'll get a big minty mouthful instead of cream-flavored filling!
In France, someone who falls for an April Fools’ Day trick is known as “poisson d’avril,” or “an April fish.” It’s traditional to stick a paper fish to someone’s back without that person noticing! – How silly!
