The story of how it all began

chika ebuzor

April 1, 2018 3:18 PM

Honestly, the many stories that have been told to explain how April Fool’s day came to be will leave you wondering .

It is that day of the year again when people play all sorts pranks on friends and family as part of the April Fool’s day fun.

Growing up as kids, we all looked forward to chorusing April Fool’s whenever someone falls for our pranks.

How did April 1 become the day for fools or a special day to try out new pranks?

Honestly, the many stories that have been told to explain how April Fool’s day came to be will leave you wondering.

History of April Fool's Day in France

One story has it that France, in 1564, changed its calendar to the modern Gregorian version, and therefore mandated everyone to celebrate on January 1st, instead of the last week of March, as it was done.

As with anything that has to do with human beings, some people opposed the new calendar and chose to continue celebrating theirs on the end of the New Year week, which fell on April 1.

As the story goes, the guys who decided to stick to the old calendar were referred to as fools.

History of April Fool's Day in England

The British version of this story is a bit interesting and will really sell in a story book for kids.

According to the story, residents of the Nottinghamshire town of Gotham heard that King John, who reigned around the 13th century, claimed any road he stepped on.

So, in a bid to save their land, the residents of the town refused him from entering Gotham.

Soldiers were sent out by the King to forcefully take the town but were shocked when they saw lunatics in every corner of the town.

Apparently Gotham residents planned that they would all pretend to be lunatics, and on seeing them, the Monarch decided that there was no need to punish the residents for their action.

So, the action of the residents of Gotham fooled King John, and the day was known as April Fool's Day.

In UK

In the UK, people reveal an April Fool joke by shouting "April fool!" when a target falls for a prank or a joke.

However, the joking ends by mid-day and anyone plays a prank after then becomes the April fool.

In Poland

In Poland, April 1 is a day where serious work is avoided and many jokes are told.

Reports have it that even the media helps to promote the fables to give them authenticity on that day.

Some social media pranks

Here are some social media April Fool's Day pranks that we have compiled for you.

[No available link text]