THE ORIGINS OF APRIL FOOLS DAY

Hey people, in honor of April Fools Day I thought I would do a little research to the origin of the day.

National Origin Theories

There are theories of the origin of April Fool’s Day specific to Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, and France. None of these theories offers a compelling explanation of the day’s origin. However, it is a sign of the cross-cultural nature of the tradition that four different countries should attempt to take credit for it.

France

The French origin theory (the calendar-change hypothesis) was discussed above. It alleges that the custom originated when King Charles IX reformed the calendar, moving the start of the year from April 1 to January 1. People who continued to celebrate New Years on April 1 were mocked and had pranks played on them, thus initiating the custom of April 1st foolery. This has become, worldwide, the most popular theory of the origin of April Fool’s Day, despite its flaws.

The French also have a theory that traces the origin of the custom back to the abundance of fish to be found in French streams and rivers during early April when the young fish had just hatched. These young fish were easy to fool with a hook and lure. Therefore, the French called them ‘Poisson d’Avril’ or ‘April Fish.’ Soon it became customary (according to this theory) to fool people on April 1, as a way of celebrating the abundance of foolish fish. The French still use the term ‘Poisson d’Avril’ to describe April Fool’s Day pranks. They also observe the custom of giving each other chocolate fish on April 1.

Great Britain


In this 1630 woodcut, a citizen of Gotham is shown trying to trap a bird inside a roofless fence. British folklore links April Fool’s Day to the town of Gotham, the legendary town of fools located in Nottingham shire. According to the legend, it was traditional in the 13Th century for any road that the King placed his foot upon to become public property. So when the citizens of Gotham heard that King John planned to travel through their town, they refused him entry, not wishing to lose their main road. When the King heard this, he sent soldiers to the town. But when the soldiers arrived in Gotham, they found the town full of lunatics engaged in foolish activities such as drowning fish or attempting to cage birds in roofless fences. Their foolery was all an act, but the King fell for the ruse and declared the town too foolish to warrant punishment. Ever since then, according to legend, April Fool’s Day has commemorated their trickery.

Germany

On April 1, 1530 a meeting of lawmakers was supposed to occur in Augsburg in order to consider various financial matters. Because of time considerations, the meeting did not take place. But numerous speculators, who had bet on the meeting occurring, lost their money and were ridiculed. This is said to have been the origin of the tradition of playing pranks on April 1.

The Netherlands

On April 1, 1572 Dutch rebels captured the town of Den Briel from Spanish troops led by Lord Alva. This military success eventually led to the independence of the Netherlands from Spain. A Dutch rhyme goes: “Op 1 april / Verloor Alva zijn Bril.” This translates to: “On April 1st / Alva lost his ‘glasses’”. “Bril” means glasses in Dutch, but is also a pun on the name of the town, Den Briel. It is claimed that the tradition of pranks on April 1st arose to commemorate the victory in Den Briel and humiliation of the Spanish commander.
References

* Jane M. Hatch (ed.). The American Book of Days. New York, 1978. p: 314-316.
* Hennig Cohen and Tristam Potter Coffin (eds.). The Folklore of American Holidays. Gale, 1999. p: 191-193.
* Walsh, William. (1898). “April Fool Day, or All Fools’ Day.” in Curiosities of Popular Customs. J.B. Lippincott Company. Philadelphia: 58-62.
* “Calendar.” (2001). Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. p.223.
* Martin, Denis-Constant. (Nov. 2001). “Politics Behind The Mask: Studying Contemporary Carnivals in Political Perspective, Theoretical and Methodological Suggestions.” Research in question. No. 2.
* Burton, William B. (April 1840). “The First of April.” Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine and American Monthly Review. Philadelphia.
* Roberts, Peter. (1815). “April Day.” in The Cambrian Popular Antiquities. E. Williams, London: 113-117.
* Travis, Peter. (1997). “Chaucer’s Chronographiae, the Confounded Reader, and Fourteenth-Century Measurements of Time.” in Constructions of Time in the Late Middle Ages. Poster, C. & Utz, R.J. (eds.) Northwestern University Press: 1-34.
* Aubrey, J. (1686). Remains of Gentilisme and Judaisme.
* Meder, Theo. “Een bloemlezing uit de Volksverhalenbank.” PDF File.
* Favrod, Justin & Morerod, Jean-Daniel. “D-1er Avril: Poissons et Calembours.”
* Tilley, Arthur. (1904). “Appendix D: On the beginning of the year in France between 1515 and 1565.” in The Literature of the French Renaissance. Cambridge University Press.

Regards
Curt