Have you ever been pranked? Or even better, are you are prankstar? Well, with April fool’s day coming it is quite inevitable that you will have to fulfill one of the place or maybe both. However, have you ever wondered why we celebrate this special day? What is the history that makes it so popular? Let’s explore!

What is the best prank you have seen till date? Let us know in the comments below.

Calendar confusion

1582 – the year when Julian calendar was shifted to Gregorian calendar is the most circulated story behind the origin of this day. Many people failed to recognize this shift and kept on celebrating the New Year on April 1st instead of January 1st. Hence, they were referred as fools. Also, a paper fish was placed on their back as a symbol of them being gullible.

Festive mood of Hilaria

People dressing up in disguise to celebrated the festival of Hilaria, a word signifying hilarity. It was known as the day of resurrection of God Attis and Roman day of laughing.

Prank of nature

The first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere was a day when Mother Nature fooled everyone with sudden change. The origin of this day is also traced to this phenomenon of unpredictable weather.

Fool fox

Known for its slyness, a fox tricked a rooster to become its meal. In turn, the rooster tricked the fox to let him go. Thus, making the fox a fool. Found in “Nun’s Priest’s Tale”, a part of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (1392), is often considered as the origin of April Fool’s day.
The theory of pranks

The theory of pranks

One of the explanations of the origin involves the court jesters convincing Constantine that they could run the empire better. He let a jester named Kugel to take the throne for a day. He passed a decree calling it the day of absurdity. Slowly, this custom took the form of an annual event. The twist is that this theory was a prank itself by a History professor. It managed to fool the famous news agency Associate Press (AP).