joi, 1 aprilie 2010

Happy Fools' Day guys!



April Fool's Day or All Fool's Day,holiday of uncertain origin, known for practical joking and celebrated on the first of April. 
Prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1564, 
the date was observed as New Year's Day by cultures as varied as the Roman and the Hindu. 


The holiday is considered to be related to the festival of the vernal equinox, which occurs on Mar. 21. The English gave April Fool's Day its first widespread celebration during the 18th cent.
April Fools’’ Day sometimes called All Fools' Day, is one of the most light-hearted days of the year. Its origins are uncertain. Some see it as a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new calendar. 
New Year's Day Moves
Ancient culture,including those of the Romans and Hindus,  celebrated New Year's Day on or around April 1. It closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or March 21st.) In medieval times, much of Europe celebrated March 25, the Feast of Annunciation, as the beginning of the new year.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian calendar) to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called for New Year's Day to be celebrated Jan. 1. That year, France  adopted the reformed calendar and shifted New Year's day to Jan. 1. According to a popular explanation, many people either refused to accept the new date, or did not learn about it, and continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Other people began to make fun of these traditionalists, sending them on "fool's errands" or trying to trick them into believing something false. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe.
Problems With This Explanation
There are at least two difficulties with this explanation. The first is that it doesn't fully account for the spread of April Fools' Day to other European countries. The Gregorian calendar was not adopted by England until 1752, for example, but April Fools' Day was already well established there by that point. The second is that we have no direct historical evidence for this explanation, only conjecture, and that conjecture appears to have been made more recently.
Constantine and Kugel
Another explanation of the origins of April Fools' Day was provided by Joseph Boskin, a professor of history at Boston University. He explained that the practice began during the reign of  Constantine, when a group of court jesters and fools told the Roman emperor that they could do a better job of running the empire. Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be king for one day. Kugel passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the custom became an annual event.
"In a way," explained Prof. Boskin, "it was a very serious day. In those times fools were really wise men. It was the role of jesters to put things in perspective with humor."
This explanation was brought to the public's attention in an Associated Press article printed by many newspapers in 1983. There was only one catch: Boskin made the whole thing up. It took a couple of weeks for the AP to realize that they'd been victims of an April Fools' joke themselves.
Spring Fever
It is worth noting that many different cultures have had days of foolishness around the start of April, give or take a couple of weeks. The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25, rejoicing in the resurrection of Attis. The Hindu calendar has Holi, and the Jewish calendar has Purim.Perhaps there's something about the time of year, with its turn from winter to spring, that lends itself to lighthearted celebrations.
Observances Around the World
April Fools' Day is observed throughout the Western world. Practices include sending someone on a "fool's errand," looking for things that don't exist; playing pranks; and trying to get people to believe ridiculous things.
The French call April 1 Poisson d'Avril, or "April Fish." French children sometimes tape a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates, crying "Poisson d'Avril" when the prank is discovered.
(thanks to David Johnson and Shmuel Ross)


9 comments:

Unknown on 1 aprilie 2010 la 04:33 spunea...

Hi Dyeve.
Interesting ,you got me thinking so i found this about Aprils fools day:
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/Hoaxipedia/April_Fools_Day_-_Origin/
Have a great day!
Will.

Unknown on 1 aprilie 2010 la 05:12 spunea...

@Will

Hi and merci, Will!

Your link is very interesting and very detailed actually, but here I did not want too have a long post with this April 1st story.:P

Hey, I thought it was a link - to fool me.:))))))))

XO

Paul on 1 aprilie 2010 la 06:36 spunea...

Happy April 1st, Dyeve :) I did not know that the day had such an interesting history attached to it.

Unknown on 1 aprilie 2010 la 06:39 spunea...

Oh nice Dyeve! Happy fools' day to you, but oh please spare me from the foolishness. haha ♥♥♥

Have a nice April ahead of you..

XO
Butteryfly

Unknown on 1 aprilie 2010 la 10:37 spunea...

@Paul

Neither I, until I learned from my post..:))

A Happy April 1-st to youuu, too! :)

Unknown on 1 aprilie 2010 la 10:42 spunea...

@ "BUTTERY"fly
I am glad that you are happy and A Happy fools day also to you, my dear! .. and to me, couse I just find out that I'm pregnant last night and I am happpyyy..happpyy!

Kissesss ♥♥♥
(I stole you're hearts from here :)

Unknown on 2 aprilie 2010 la 06:14 spunea...

Hi dyeve.
Nice try with the "I'm pregnant"!lol
have a great day!
Will.

Oigen on 3 aprilie 2010 la 16:14 spunea...

Draga Dyeve,
Din inima mea mica si intunecata iti doresc un Paste Fericit alaturi de cei dragi, si fie ca lumina Sarbatorilor de Paste sa-ti aduca binenteles, lumina (in suflet si in relatiile sociale).

P.S. Iti zic de astazi, ca sa fiu primul: HRISTOS A INVIAT.

Cu drag,
al tau prieten virtual
Oigen

Serene Sadness on 4 aprilie 2010 la 22:26 spunea...

I saw your comment and therefore drop by to thank you. This is an interesting post. God bless...

 

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