A History of April Fools Day

April Fools Day is celebrated all over the world, but just where did it come from? One of the first references was actually in 1392, and April Fools is celebrated differently depending on where in the world you are from.

Origins:

The first known appearance of April Fools day in print was in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales where a fox tricks a chicken “Since March began, full thirty days and two”. This means that the trick happened 32 days after the first of March, or on April 1st. In 1508, French poet Eloy d'Amerval talked about poisson d'avril (April Fish) in his works, which was probably the first mention of the tradition in France. 

Around the World:

Armenia, Germany, Iran, Ireland and many more countries celebrate April Fools day, all in different ways. The most famous way it is celebrated in other countries is with April Fish that I talked about earlier, which was done mostly in France and other French-speaking areas. This involves taping a paper fish to someone’s back without them noticing, and trying to avoid getting a fish on your back. French newspapers would also post absurd stories on April 1st, and they would sometimes have a small reference to fish to clue people in about the prank.

Prank Ideas:

Some pranks you can try this April Fools day are getting some Oreos for other people, and replacing the cream inside them with white toothpaste. Another one you can do is loosen the top on a saltshaker, or steal all of the toilet paper in the house. Come up with your own pranks too, and happy April Fools Day!

- James M., 9th Grade