Origin of April Fool’s Day

Introduction

April Fool’s day has come this year also just like the years that have gone past. This is the time when people make comedy pranks on each other to mark the occasion.  Most commonly, these pranks are directed against the strangers. This is also the time when you can settle score against those guys who have caused you some problem in the past. Nobody can point fingers of allegations at you as this is the day for rampant distribution of japes and witticism among the people. Probably because of the voluntary sharing of practical pranks and wits against people by the people, it has become globally known as the day of laughter and stupidity.

Historical Perspective

Despite digging into the past, the origin of making the harmless prank and playing with the people for the fun sake is still shrouded in darkness. There are multiple sources from which the reference to the origin can be taken. According to one school of thought, the origin of this pranks day can be traced back to the days of Roman Empire. The celebrations of this day have close resemblance with the Roman festival of Hilaria. During those days, the festival Hilaria was referred to as the Feast of Fools. From the records, people have inferred that the Romans observe this day by making light-hearted giddiness and tame mockery of things that happened around them. The folklore from this period suggests that the practice of making mockery in a harmless way and making practical pranks had begun during the time of Constantine. At that point in time, a group of jesters and fools told the Roman Emperor about their ability to better the empire. Amused by this, the Roman ruler asked one of them by the name Kugel to remain as King for one day. In his one day, he had issued insane orders. This day is later carried forward as the Fool’s Day.