SOUTH COUNTY
President’ s
COLUMN
Fools Fooling Fools
by Jacqulyn Mack-Majka, Esq. Mack-Majka Law Firm Chartered, Inc.
The most interesting fact about the custom of pulling pranks on April first, April Fool’ s Day, is that not one cultural historian has determined its true origin. In 1708, a reporter for British Apollo magazine asked,“ Whence proceeds the custom of making April Fools?” Cultural historians can find a well-established practice by the eighteenth century, and the concurrent curiosity regarding it, but by that time the custom was established as being of great antiquity there was an absence of a written record.
This absence has“ fooled” cultural historians for centuries as to the origins of April Fool’ s Day. Some historians attribute the day of pranks to an ancient Roman pagan ritual,“ Hilaria” that commemorates resurrection of their god“ Attis”. Attis was a vegetation god representing the fruits of the Earth which die in winter and rise again in spring. The ritual was held at the end of March wherein the ancient Romans celebrated renewal by imitating and disguising themselves as other merrymakers.
Another group of historian’ s attribute April Fool’ s Day to France’ s 16th century exchange of the Julian Calendar for the Gregorian Calendar. With that exchange the New Year would begin on January first, rather than in March, with the New Year beginning on April first. News travelled slowly so many did not know about the change and continued to celebrate the beginning of the New Year on April first exposing themselves to ridicule by their more well-travelled peers.
In 1561 a Flemish poet, Eduard de Dene, wrote a poem about a nobleman that sends his servant out on a series of irrational chores on April first supposedly to assist in preparation of a wedding banquet. The servant realized the date coupled with the absurdity of the tasks amounted to“ fool’ s errands”. This is the first distinct reference to the tradition of engaging in practical jokes on April first. It is clear that April Fool’ s Day originated at least as early as the sixteenth century
The year 1686 marked the first time an author, John Aubrey, referred to April first as a day observed by the Crown. Aubrey was a British antiquarian who was researching popular customs and superstitions for a book to be titled, Remains of Gentilism and Judaism, when he noted the“ Foole’ s holy day. We observe it on ye first of April.” Aubrey’ s collected notes were published after his death.
Twelve years later the British were pulling elaborate hoaxes on April Fool’ s Day. On April 2, 1698 a British newspaper reported that several people had been sent to the Tower of London to see the“ Lion Washing” which was a fake event. This April Fool’ s Day prank persisted far into the nineteenth century.
The timeline reveals that April Fools’ Day became commonplace during the 18th century and spread throughout the United Kingdom. In Scotland, the tradition became a two-day event and even had its own name,“ Hunt the Gowk”. It began with Hunt the Gowk on April first. The term“ gowk” refers to a cuckoo bird and used in slang, describes a fool. Hunt the Gowk was also often shortened to“ Huntegowk”. A young apprentice was typically given pretend errand which turned into a wild goose chase.
14 | THE DOCKET- APRIL SUMMER 2025 2024