Happy April Fools’ Day

Unlike most non-foolish holidays, the history of April Fools’ Day, sometimes called All Fools’ Day, is not totally clear. The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. Prior to that, the New Year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25. The celebration culminated on April 1. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved to January 1. Because news traveled by foot, many people did not receive the news for several years. The more obstinate crowd refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1. The general populace labeled these folk as ‘fools’. This evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank playing on the first day of April.