April Fools’ Day 2021: The day is all about playing pranks on friends but we must not hurt anyone
April Fools’ Day is celebrated on April 1 every year. Countries and cultures across the world have been celebrating April Fools’ Day for generations. The exact origins of April Fools’ Day is not quite clear but traditions of the fools day are all about playing hoaxes, jokes and pranks and then jumping up and yelling “April Fool”!. It is a day enjoyed by both the young and the old. According to the history.com, “There’s also speculation that April Fools’ Day was linked to the vernal equinox, or the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere…”. People are also known to link it with “changing, unpredictable weather.”
History of April Fools’ Day
Historians have often speculated about the April Fools’ Day. The source of the day goes back to 1582. The history.com says, around this time “France switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar”. April Fools’ Day also coincides with the vernal equinox around this time.
Historians are also known to link April Fools’ Day to “festivals such as Hilaria”, which in Latin means joyful. In ancient Rome, April Fools’ Day was about making fun of fellow citizens, games and masquerades.
April Fools’ Day also comes close on the heels of the Indian festival of Holi, the Persian festival of Sizdah Bedar and the Jewish Purim. Surprisingly all three festivals in early spring invvolve various forms of merriment and frivolity.
April Fools’ Day: Two unwritten rules we must follow
1. We should not cause harm or hurt anyone – April Fools’ Day is all about humor, pranks and a lot of fun. Pranks are fun but not deception or spreading wrong information particularly during a raging pandemic.
2. Pranks are best at the bginning of the day when people are still wondering ‘what’s the date?’ As the day progresses, people become conscious and pranks don’t work.
Happy April Fools’ Day!