April Fools’ Day is an annual holiday that consists of practical jokes, pranks, and hoaxes. Pranksters often unmask their joke by yelling a loud and proud, “April Fools’!” at their victim. This custom has been observed for hundreds of years.
April Fools’ Day always occurs on the first of April. In 1561, a Flemish poet wrote some comical verse about a nobleman who sends his servant back and forth on ludicrous errands in preparation for a wedding feast (the poem’s title roughly translates to “Refrain on errand-day / which is the first of April”). The first mention of April Fools’ Day in Britain was in 1686, when biographer John Aubrey described April 1st as a “Fooles holy day.”
It’s clear that the habit of sending springtime rubes on a “fool’s errand” was rampant in Europe by the late 1600s. On April Fools’ Day in 1698, so many saps were tricked into schlepping to the Tower of London to watch the “washing of the lions” (a ceremony that didn’t exist) that the April 2 edition of a local newspaper had to debunk the hoax—and publicly mock the schmoes who fell for it.
I – Word Understanding
Joke vs Prank vs Hoax
Joke – an act performed to cause amusement or laughter
Prank – a trick or a practical joke done for fun or entertainment
Hoax – an act to deceive someone to believe in something that is not true
Ludicrous – foolish, unreasonable or unsuitable that causes laughter
Sap/s – one who is easily deceived or cheated
Schlepping – to move slowly, awkwardly, tediously or carelessly
Debunk – to show or prove that something is not true
Schmo/es – a stupid person
II – Have Your Say
1, How do you celebrate April Fool’s Day in your country? What are the common jokes, pranks or hoaxes that people around you do on this day? Have you ever done any or have you ever been a victim?
2, Share your thoughts on the famous quote “Laughter is the best medicine”.
865 April Fools’ Day: How Did It Start, and Why Is It April 1?
