DID YOU KNOW…?
10 interesting facts about April Fool’s Day
1. Some historians believe the April Fool’s Day
began in France, although no one knows for sure.
It may stem from a calendar change in 16th
century France - the moving of New Year's Day
from April 1 to January 1 when the Gregorian
calendar was adopted. People who continued to
celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1st rather
than the new date of January 1st were referred
to as "April fools" and others played tricks on
them.
2. In France, April 1st is called "Poisson d'Avril."
French children fool their friends by taping a
paper fish to their friends' backs. When the
"young fool" discovers this trick, the prankster
yells "Poisson d'Avril!"
3. In Scotland, April Fools' lasts two days. Victims
of pranks are called gowks (cuckoo birds). The
second day is known as Taily Day, and pranks
involving the backside are played. Supposedly, it
is the origin of "kick me" signs.
4. For April Fool’s Day in 1957, the BBC created a
hoax in which they convinced the nation that
spaghetti was grown from “spaghetti trees”.