Introduction
You know this holiday, perhaps a little too well. Let me give you a couple hints. It’s a day warranting a great deal of paranoia—very justified and necessary—at that. I, for one, personally become wary of anything and everything said to me, side-eyeing every text, second-guessing every headline, and approaching even the most mundane statements with extreme suspicion. Lastly, it falls on the first of April. If you couldn’t guess from the title of this article and from those hints, then let me tell you… I’m talking about Christmas. Just kidding! (Got you for a second, didn’t I?) I’m actually referring to April Fools’ Day. Or… not?
Spoiler Alert: I’m Talking About April Fools’ Day
April Fools’ Day owes its name to the centuries-old tradition of playing practical jokes, from telling friends their shoelaces are untied to sending them on wild goose chases. But how did this global day of mischief begin? The truth is that we don’t know (unfortunately, this is not a joke). But what I do have for you are several theories that are all rather food for thought.
The First Recorded Pranks
Our first solid proof that humans have always loved trolling each other comes from a 1561 Flemish poem, where a nobleman’s poor servant gets punk’d with a series of ridiculous errands. By then, April Fools’ Day was already a well-established tradition, meaning people had at least 400 years of pranking experience before the invention of fake internet news.
Translated from Dutch, the title of Eduard De Dene’s poem is “Refrain on errand-day / which is the first of April.” Believed to be the first clear reference to the tradition of playing jokes on the first of April.
But historians suspect the mischief might go way further back. Some link it to ancient Rome’s Hilaria festival (literally “the hilarious one”), where citizens celebrated the goddess Cybele by teasing each other in masquerades and role reversals. Others argue it evolved from medieval spring festivals, where peasants got to boss nobles around for a day, as its festivities featured temporary social inversions.
A New Year’s Mix-Up
The most popular theory traces April Fools’ Day back to 16th-century France, when in 1564, King Charles IX issued the Edict of Roussillon. This switched France from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, essentially moving New Year’s Day from April 1st to January 1st. But in a time that lacked instant communication, not everyone got the memo. Those who kept celebrating in April were mocked as “April fools” and taunted with pranks and fake errands. Over time, the teasing evolved into a full-blown tradition of lighthearted deception.
Rutgers folklorist Angus Kress Gillespie supports this calendar-based theory. However, concrete historical evidence connecting the calendar change directly to April Fools’ traditions remains scarce. Ultimately, many scholars stay skeptical about this being the origin.
The Spread of April Fools’ Day
Regardless of its origins, April Fools’ Day quickly has become Europe’s favorite excuse for organized chaos, with each culture putting its own spin on April Fools’ customs. In France, the holiday took a fishy turn known as Poisson d’Avril (April Fish), where children sneakily taped paper fish to unsuspecting victims’ backs. Scotland developed a two-day celebration beginning with “Hunt the Gowk” (gowk meaning fool or cuckoo) on April 1st, where people were sent on absurd errands. It was followed by “Tailie Day” on April 2nd, which featured “kick me” signs attached to people’s backs.
The tradition flourished particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries. During the 1800s, pranksters developed elaborate gags like heating coins to make them uncomfortable to pick up, or using hidden strings to yank away fake wallets. With the rise of mass media in the 1900s, newspapers, radio stations, and later, even television networks, began participating in April Fools’ Day with increasingly sophisticated hoaxes.
Titled “The smart boy who stepped on the string before picking up the wallet,” this cartoon depicts a popular prank of the era. The Abilene Reporter-News, April 1, 1939.
Conclusion
From medieval peasants tricking their neighbors to modern brands convincing us they’ve created the most insane inventions, April Fools’ Day has always been humanity’s excuse to prank first and ask questions later. The tradition hasn’t just survived the digital age—it’s thriving. Nothing spreads chaos faster than the internet’s ability to make a fake story go viral before anyone can question its validity. The best part? That moment when the prank is revealed, and the victim goes from shock to betrayal to laughing (or pretending to laugh) while secretly plotting revenge. So this April 1st, as you side-eye suspiciously convenient news, remember: You’re part of a long, proud tradition of well-intentioned trickery. Just get your pranks in early: the best jokes strike before people remember what day it is. And if you fall for one, don’t worry. Revenge is just 364 days away.
Works Cited
Alexander, Andrea. “How Did April Fools’ Day Get Started?” Rutgers University, 1 Apr. 2025, www.rutgers.edu/news/how-did-april-fools-day-get-started.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "April Fools’ Day". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/April-Fools-Day.
“Eduard de Dene.” Museum of Hoaxes, hoaxes.org/af_database/permalink/eduard_de_dene.
“The Smart Boy.” Museum of Hoaxes, hoaxes.org/af_database/permalink/smart_boy.
Williams, Austin. “When Did April Fools’ Day Start? The Confusing History of April 1.” FOX 10 Phoenix, 31 Mar. 2025, www.fox10phoenix.com/news/april-fools-day-origins-history.
