The April Fool

Where the April joke came from — which in Turkish we call 'the first of April' and in French 'April fish' — we still do not know, even though it has long been practised by many different cultures; its origin is still a mystery. It is a kind of joke in which you tell the other person something that did not happen and, when they believe it, you remind them it is an April joke. Some historians say this day began in 1582, when Pope Gregory changed the Julian calendar: because that calendar began the year on the first of April and the feast of Easter, which corresponds to our festival of Pesach, did not fall each year on the exact date, he adjusted and synchronized the calendar. The Protestants, who do not love the Catholics, accepted this calendar in 1700, and the English, who have the Anglican Church, in 1752. It seems that the countries of Orthodox faith have still not accepted the Gregorian calendar for religious feasts, to this day.

Coming to the change of 1582: as there was no internet, no telephone, no postal system, news did not reach quickly from one place to another, and those who had not heard, and were considered fools, had a paper in the shape of a fish hung on their backs. The 'April fish' symbolized the little fish that is caught very easily, and, for people, the fools and the clumsy.

Other historians say this day came from the Romans, who celebrated the feast of Cybele, or Sibel, the 'Mother goddess', dressing in comic clothes as we do at Purim, at the end of March, and mocking the rulers — a custom that entered Roman culture apparently from the Egyptians, with the legends of Isis and Osiris.

One theory says that as in April it was not, and is not, allowed to fish, the joke was played with a paper in the shape of a fish on the first of April.

Finally there are those who say this day remained from the celebration of the equinox, when day and night are halves, equal, which occurs on 21 March. The Romans rejoiced and played jokes. The word equinox comes from Latin, where 'aequus' means equal and 'nox' means night.

What I have written is not an April joke, but a part of 'Saver es Bueno'.

Another thing that is not an April joke is that I wish you a festival of Pesach spent in rest, health and joy.

Source: Historia