In many countries and cultures, April 1 is unofficially celebrated as a day of jest. In the English-speaking world it is known as April Fools' Day, (or All Fools' Day). Its origins are disputed. According to one theory, April 1 signifies the change of the seasons; according to another, it celebrates the adoption of a new calendar.
Certain ancient cultures, such as those
of the Romans and Hindus,
celebrated New Year's Day on April 1 or close to that date. It comes soon after
the vernal
equinox (March 20th or March 21st.) In medieval times, March 25, the
Feast of Annunciation, was celebrated in many countries as the beginning of the
New Year.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered
the Julian calendar to be replaced by the Gregorian Calendar, under
which New Year's Day was to be celebrated on January 1.
In that same year, France adopted the Gregorian Calendar and
made January 1 New Year's day. According to some sources, some people declined
to accept the new date and continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1,
while others reacted by sending the conservatives on "fool's errands"
or by playing other tricks on them. This practice became popular throughout
Europe.
But certain facts contradict that
theory. In England, for example, the Gregorian calendar was
not adopted before 1752. April Fools' Day, on the other hand, was already well
established there before that date.
Another theory used at one point in
time to explain April Fool’s Day was that the practice began during the reign
of Constantine,
when a group of court jesters persuaded the Emperor to allow a court jester
named Kugel to be king for one day. It was Kugel who proclaimed the Holiday,
according to this theory.
In 1983 Associated Press published
an article in support of this theory, relying for its source on an American
professor. Many newspapers picked it up and it gained currency for a short
while. But the professor’s theory turned out to be an Aprils Fool’s joke and
Associated Press was forced to publish a retraction of the claim.
A celebration of foolishness took
place in the Roman festival of Hilaria
on March 25, in honour of the
resurrection of Attis.
Hindus calendar the Festival of Holi,
and Jews celebrate Purim
about the same time of the year. So the explanation may simply be that the turn
of seasons is a cause for light-hearted celebration at that time of the year.
In different countries, April Fools'
Day is practiced by sending someone on a "fool's errand," by playing tricks
on people and by creating ridiculous situations.
The French call April 1 Poisson
d'avril, or "April Fish." One child may place the picture of a
fish on another and then shout out Poisson d'avril.
Whatever the true origin of April
Fool’s Day, the advent of the month of April is itself a good pretext to feel
jolly. And where better to lift one’s spirits but Paris? In the clip below, classical jazz singers
give us their renditions of “April in Paris”.
And to see America’s enchantment with Paris, watch the trailer of the film “April in Paris”:
Source vidéos: YouTube
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