What is April Fools’ Day?
April Fools’ Day is a popular secular holiday celebrated in many countries around the world. People observe this event by playing pranks and practical jokes on their friends and family members, trying to catch them out with a funny hoax.
For those who aren’t into pranks, telling some puns and amusing stories is also a popular option.
When is April Fools’ Day?
April Fools’ Day takes place on April 1 every single year.
Somehow, it can be easy to forget when it’s coming up. So keep an eye out for strange happenings and weird newspaper headlines, and you won’t be made a fool of this year!
What can you learn about April Fools’ Day here?
Jesters and jokers looking for inspiration and information can find it here at Twinkl. In this Teaching Wiki, you’ll learn tons of fun facts about April Fools’ Day to help with research assignments and turn you into a trivia whiz.
Keep reading to find out the answers to the following questions:
- What is the history of April Fools’ Day?
- Why do we celebrate April Fools’ Day?
- What are some of the most iconic April Fools’ Day hoaxes?
- How do people celebrate the holiday around the world?
- Where can I find teaching resources on April Fools’ Day?
History of April Fools’ Day for Students
When did April Fools’ Day start?
People throughout history have all had one thing in common: everyone loves a good joke.
April Fools’ Day is an old holiday, but the question of when and where it started is still a mystery to us. Nevertheless, a couple of theories stand out, and we’ve listed them below.
Three Possible Origins of April Fools’ Day
Roman Festival of Hilaria
Some people think our April Fools’ Day traditions can be traced back to a Roman festival, Hilaria. But, if you know anything about the history of Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Halloween, you’ll see that it wouldn’t be the first time this has happened!
Hilaria was a cheerful festival that honored the goddess Cybele and the god Attis. Although it was a multi-day affair, some activities included dressing in costumes and playing practical jokes.
There isn’t any hard evidence to suggest that this is true, and it’s just one theory among many.
Vernal Equinox
April 1 is close to the vernal equinox, which is the official beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all solstices and equinoxes, these were important dates to mark the changing seasons.
It is thought that the importance of April Fools’ Day might come from its relationship with springtime, which would start to show its effects on that day.
Julian Calendar vs. Gregorian Calendar
Did you know that April 1 used to be the start of the new year?
The Julian calendar was used in Great Britain (and its colonies, including those in America) until 1752, after which it switched to the Gregorian calendar – a different way of calculating the date.
However, France started to switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar much earlier, all the way back in the 16th century. This moved the new year’s date from April 1 to January 1.
Not everyone got the memo. Not everyone wanted the change. It is said that those who didn’t know about the new date or stubbornly followed the old calendar became the butt of many jokes on April 1.
April Fools’ Day Quote
| “April 1. This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four.” – Mark Twain |
Why do we celebrate April Fools’ Day?
Even if we did know the origins of April Fools’ Day once and for all, it still wouldn’t explain why it’s such a phenomenon today.
One possible reason is that it’s entertaining. Laughter makes the world go round, and practical jokes are a good way of ensuring everyone has a good time – even the prankee! Veteran teachers and wise adults might think they’ve heard every joke and seen every prank in the book, but they can still be surprised.
(Plus, they have experience with classics children might not have encountered yet so they can get their own back.)
One thing is sure: April Fools’ Day is a breath of fresh air and a good reminder not to take things seriously!
Iconic April Fools’ Day Hoaxes
A New Number for Pi
April Fools’ Day comes hot on Pi Day, an event on March 14. Few pranks had caused as much concern among mathematicians as in 1998; an alarming report indicated that the Alabama state legislature was changing the value of pi.
It had too many decimal places, so they changed it to a nice, round, friendly number: 3.
Engineers, architects, and math teachers all over the country sounded the alarm (or maybe just raised an eyebrow) at the prospect of their beloved pi being changed. Some people even phoned up their local legislators!
But in the end, it was all a big April Fools’ Day prank devised by a physicist named Mark Boslough.
Robbing the U.S. Treasury
Let’s go back in time. Way back. Back to the early 1900s!
In 1907, a German newspaper, Berliner Tageblatt, published an article saying that all the gold and silver in the U.S. Federal Treasury had been stolen.
How did the “thieves” manage it?
They dug a tunnel beneath the building over three years to break into the treasury, then escaped with their ill-gotten goods.
Of course, this did not happen. But that didn’t stop people from believing it was proper for a hot minute.
The Great Spaghetti Harvest of 1957
This one’s a doozy. Back in 1957, there was a famous report by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) on the spaghetti harvest in Switzerland that year. After an early spring, the spaghetti trees were so laden with spaghetti that farmers began to grow worried. The decline of the spaghetti weevil was also suggested as a cause for the bumper harvest.
Wait, spaghetti trees?
Yes, you heard that right. One of the most trustworthy news organizations in the United Kingdom managed to trick their viewers into believing that spaghetti did grow on trees. As a result, hundreds of people picked up their phones to ask about it. Legendary!
April Fools’ Day Around the World
France
We’ve already explored the potential origins of April Fools’ Day, which could have started in France. How do the French celebrate it today?
In France, April Fools’ Day is known as April Fish.
People use paper fish to play harmless pranks on their friends and family. First, they stick a paper fish onto the back of as many people as possible. After that, they yell the phrase “Poisson d’Avril!” which translates into “April Fish.”
Scotland
We know that the United Kingdom enjoys concocting some truly epic April Fools’ Day pranks (like the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957), but Scotland also has its historical traditions.
In Scotland, April Fools’ Day used to take place over two days. One of them was known as Gowk’s Day. A “gowk” in Scots has two meanings: it can refer to a cuckoo or a fool.
Making someone the fool on April Fools’ Day was known as “hunting the gowk.” A traditional prank involved asking someone to deliver a sealed letter with a message inside. This message encouraged the recipient to send the messenger on another fool’s errand, then another, until someone took pity on them.
Nowadays? People send their unwitting victims on an errand to fetch things like “tartan paint” or a“long stand.” We’ll let you figure that one out yourselves.
Portugal
In Portugal, people celebrate a unique version of April Fools’ Day on the two days before Lent.
Unfortunately for the unsuspecting fools, the Portuguese version of April Fools’ Day tends to get messy. The prank is a simple one:
- Acquire a sack of flour.
- Throw said flour on your friends when they least expect it.
Simple!
Brazil
In the early 19th century, a satirical newspaper published an alarming headline proclaiming the death of the Emperor of Brazil, Don Pedro. This was a memorable April Fools’ Day prank that popularized the tradition in Brazil!
The day is known as Dia das Mentiras (the Day of Lies) or Dia dos Bobos (the Day of Fools).
Ideas for April Fools’ Day
April Fools’ Day in the Classroom
- Compare April Fools’ Day in the United States with another country. What are the similarities and differences? Would you like to take part in those traditions?
- Practice some puns memorized from joke books or cards and recite them to your friends and classmates. This is a great way to hone your talent for comedy!
- Prank the class next door! Then, your students can work together to devise a diabolical plan – with your approval, of course.
April Fools’ Day at Home
- Team up to play pranks on the other members of your household. Two heads are better than one when thinking up hilarious practical jokes.
- Investigate hoaxes from the past and present. April Fools’ Day has been around for a long time, and you can find videos of some older broadcasts online. Ask an adult for good ones to research!
- Write a truce promising no more pranks and practical jokes. You can create a contract for a ceasefire that all parties can agree to, but whether you follow it is another question.
5 Fun Facts about April Fools’ Day
- You might not expect there to be rules for such a chaotic event, but April Fools’ Day has them! According to the rules, your pranks and jokes have a time limit. So if you make them afternoon, you’re the fool for the rest of the year!
- The earliest reference associating the beginning of April with foolish behavior is thought to be in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. This was written in 1392 and is one of the most famous works in the English language.
- In 1992, one hilarious prank by Taco Bell saw the fast-food chain claim that they’d bought the Liberty Bell. Yes, that Liberty Bell. Go big or go home!
- Another popular name for April Fools’ Day is All Fools’ Day.
- Several countries around the world also call April Fools’ Day by the name “April Fish,” not just France. These include Italy, Belgium, and Quebec in Canada.
