April Fool's Day
(From Kids InfoBits, a Gale online resource)
The first day of April is called April Fool's Day. It is a day for pranks and jokes. Even though it is not an official holiday, several countries celebrate April Fool's Day. No one knows just when or where the idea of playing tricks on other people started, but Great Britain, Australia, Canada, France, and the United States all enjoy this fun-filled day. Many different stories describe how April Fool's Day began.
English Legend
Some people say April Fool's Day started in England in the 1200s's when King John planned to walk through a field in the village of Gotham. Wherever the king walked, a road had to be built. The people in Gotham did not want to pay for a road. So they stopped King John from coming by pretending to be fools. Some of them pulled wagons onto the roofs of their houses. Others tried to drown fish in the pond. Still others sent their cheese to market by rolling it down a hill. Their tricks worked, and the king stayed away.
French Tale
In 1564, Pope Charles IX changed the calendar in 1564. The new calendar was called the Gregorian calendar. On the old calendar, the year began on April 1. On the new calendar, New Year's Day fell on January 1. France was the first country to use the new calendar. But in those times there was no radio, newspaper, or TV. Many people did not know about the change, so some of them celebrated the beginning of the new year on the wrong day. These people were called April fools.
Holiday Customs of Other Countries
Long ago in England, some of the tricks that people played on April Fool's Day including asking friends to find silly things like hen’s teeth or pigeon’s milk. In Scotland, a man might be asked to deliver a letter. Inside the envelope, the letter would say, "Hunt the gowk another mile." A gowk is a cuckoo bird. The person who read the note would send the man another mile to take the letter to someone else.
In France, April 1 is called Poisson d'Avril. This means "April Fish." In spring, young fish are easy to catch because they do not know enough to stay away from hooks. Since fish are easy to fool, people who can be tricked easily are called "April Fish." On April 1, French children put pictures of fish on other people’s backs. When the people find the picture, the children tease them by saying, "April Fish!"
April Fool's Pranks
Many people play silly jokes on their friends and families on this day. One popular trick is to put salt in the sugar bowl or sugar in the saltshaker. Another prank is to tie a string to money or a purse. When someone bends over to pick it up, the trickster pulls it away. These April Fool's jokes work best if the person who is teased thinks they are funny too.