What is the history of one of the most fun holidays. Why April 1st is a legitimate occasion for jokes, laughter and draws not only in Russia, but also in other countries.

The holiday of April 1 is not included in any calendar of significant dates and national holidays, but it is celebrated with great success in Russia, and in Germany, and in France, and even in the East. Only the name differs: in some countries April 1 is called April Fool's Day, in others - April Fool's Day.

The history of the holiday April 1 - April Fool's Day

There are several versions of the birth of this fun holiday. Some believe that this is a reminder of the ancient spring festival, which was celebrated in April and was accompanied by games and jokes.

Others believe that the custom of putting your friends and acquaintances in a ridiculous position was born in the Middle Ages.

It is not known for certain where this holiday came from. The custom to have fun, joke and deceive each other on April 1 is common in many countries.

There are many different assumptions about the origin of this holiday, which, however, are similar in one thing: its roots go deep into the medieval European carnival-farce tradition. In general, this holiday is one of the most persistent elements of paganism remaining in the Christian mind.

Some argue that the Day of jokes and laughter was celebrated in ancient Rome. It was called the Feast of Fools. Others say that this celebration was celebrated in ancient India, where on March 31 they also celebrated Laziness of jokes. Still others believe that on April 1, in the ancient world, only the Irish joked. The Icelandic sagas confirm that the tradition of deceiving on April 1 was introduced by the gods in memory of Skadei, the daughter of Tiass.

There is also such a strange opinion that this holiday appeared thanks to the Neapolitan king Monterey, who on this day, on the occasion of the cessation of the earthquake, was presented with a fish as a gift. A year later, the king demanded exactly the same fish, but they could not find it, and the royal cook prepared another, very similar to last year. But the king revealed the forgery, but this did not anger him in the slightest, but only made him laugh from the bottom of his heart. And since then, apparently, the tradition of celebrating April 1 has included the custom of playing someone without fail.

How April 1st is celebrated in different countries

How is April Fool's Day celebrated in Russia?

In Russia, foreign courtiers celebrated April 1 with jokes. Peter I liked this custom. “Jokes amused the king a lot, and every year he invented something similar around this time,” wrote one of his contemporaries. In 1700, one owner of a troupe of fakirs announced to Muscovites that he would fit into the neck of an ordinary glass bottle. People poured into the theater. When the curtain went up, the audience saw on the stage a bottle with the inscription "April First". Tsar Peter was also present at this performance, which amused him a lot and did not anger him at all. He only said about this: "The liberty of comedians." Thus, the tradition of celebrating April 1 began to spread among Russians.

How is April Fool's Day celebrated in France?

In France, the day of deceit is called April fish. It appeared in 1564 when Charles IX moved the celebration of the New Year from April 1 to January 1. Of course, many did not approve of this, and the following year, on April 1, the subjects of the king sent New Year's greetings and gifts to their friends - either as a sign of protest, or according to tradition. And the French decided that the name "April fish" is quite suitable for similar tricks in the future. They did not miscalculate, and such an interesting joke took root among the people.

Gradually rohyryshi turned into a custom and gave rise to a new holiday. One of the coolest pranks in France dates back to April 1, 1986, when the Parisien newspaper published a report about the decision of the Parisian municipality to dismantle the Eiffel Tower. It was supposed to be transported to the valley of the Marne River, thirty kilometers from the capital, where a giant Disneyland amusement park would be built under an agreement with the management of an American company. The report described in detail the work on the dismantling of the tower with the help of helicopters from the US Marine Corps. It was planned to assemble the tower in a horizontal position, then it had to be lifted by cranes. The project was to take six months to complete.

Frustrated Parisians besieged the editorial office, phones were torn from calls. It wasn't until the next day that the paper cooled off by notifying its readers that it was all an April Fool's joke.

How is April Fool's Day celebrated in England?

The gullible Londoners suffered no less in 1860. On the eve of April 1, many of them received printed invitations to the "... solemn ceremony of washing white lions", which will take place in the Tower at 11 o'clock on April 1. At the appointed time, crowds of curious people besieged the gates of the Tower, and what was their disappointment when they found out that this was just an April Fool's joke ... In England, this holiday is called All Fools' Day.

A leading English newspaper ran an advertisement for a trip around the world for only £200 on April 1st. No less true was the report of a well-known TV commentator promoting a TV movie about the unusually long Italian spaghetti growing on trees. Needless to say, there was no end to calls to the studio?

In England, the time of draws is limited - only until 12 noon.

The most outstanding prank of the century is considered to be broadcast on April 1, 1957 by the BBC television company, a report about a bumper crop of pasta in Switzerland. Against the backdrop of footage showing the hard work of peasants harvesting boiled pasta from the fields, the announcer's voice spoke of an incredible achievement in the field of agriculture - the same length of all pasta, which was the result of the experiments of many generations of breeders. After that, the editors received a huge number of response letters: someone was surprised that pasta grows vertically and not horizontally, someone asked to send seedlings, and only a few were confused - until now they believed that pasta was made from flour.

Fool's Day in other countries

But in Germany and Austria, April 1 was previously considered an unlucky day. The Germans and Austrians believed that a person born on this day would be unlucky, since Judas, the traitor of Christ, was allegedly born on this day, and it was on April 1 that Satan was cast down from heaven into the darkness of hell.

In Finland, April 1 is a relatively young holiday, common among both urban and rural residents. Thanks to the latter, he acquired the original character of the jokes of "hot Finnish guys", which are associated with the old village custom during serious hard autumn work - threshing, cleaning bread or slaughtering livestock - to entrust children with comic tasks. The guys, for example, were asked to run to the neighbor's yard for some non-existent, but allegedly very necessary tool: glass scissors, a chaff plow or a goniometer for a dunghill.

And those to whom the poor child came "remembered" that they had already given this instrument to Others, and sent it to the next yard, and this went on until someone took pity on the kid and told him that it was a joke .

The most interesting incredible stories for April 1

On April 1, you can hear the most incredible things and take them for the truth. So, many years ago, in the April Fool's issue of some newspaper, a note was published that a real mammoth settled in the Moscow zoo, which was found frozen in Chukotka, warmed up and sent to permanent residence in Moscow. This joke was believed, and one teacher even brought a group of schoolchildren from Siberia to admire this miracle. Another funny note appeared in 1990. Then the newspaper published "the most sensational studies" proving that the poet A. Blok actually never existed. Almost all serious literary critics believed this and entered into a heated debate with the editors of the weekly.

April 1 Let's wish each other to laugh as often as possible, and on all other days too.

According to doctors, laughter has a beneficial effect on the physical condition of a person, relieves stress, lowers blood pressure, and prolongs life. Norwegian doctors believe that three minutes of laughter is equal to fifteen minutes of exercise. .

So have fun, just try not to offend other people with jokes!

Newspaper by April 1

April Fools "Day is celebrated on April 1. This day is not included in any calendars of significant and festive dates, but it can be easily attributed to international ones, since the custom to have fun, joke and deceive each other on April 1 exists in many countries It is called both April Fool's Day and April Fools' Day.

The exact origin of the holiday is still debated. One of the versions ascribes the origin of this holiday to Ancient Rome, where in mid-February (and not at all in early April) the Feast of the Fools was celebrated. Apuleius believed that in ancient Rome, the April Fool's deception was associated with a holiday in honor of the deity of Laughter. Others argue that this holiday originated in ancient India, where March 31 was celebrated as a festival of jokes. There is also an assumption that only the Irish joked on April 1 in the ancient world, and even then in honor of the New Year. The Icelandic sagas say that the custom of deceiving on April 1 was introduced by the gods in memory of Skadei, the daughter of Tiass.

There is a version that originally April 1 was celebrated in India and Ancient Rome as the day of the spring equinox. On the occasion of the spring new year, festivities were organized with jokes, pranks and funny tricks. So people tried to appease the spring whims of nature with jokes and practical jokes.
According to another version, April Fool's Day is associated with the transition to the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. In the Middle Ages, the New Year was celebrated at the end of March - New Year's week began on March 25, and ended just on April 1. In the middle of the 16th century, King Charles IX reformed the calendar in France, moving the New Year to January 1, but many continued to celebrate April 1. People who presented gifts to each other on this day were called April Fools (April's Fools). It was also customary to play everyone. From here April Fool's Day came.

So, in England, jokes and practical jokes are accepted only in the first half of the day. It is believed that you lose your luck if you prank someone after noon.

In Scotland, this day is called April Gowk Day and is celebrated for two days. The deceived on April 1 is reputed to be "open". The second day of the celebration has its own name - Tail Day (Taily Day) and special specifics: all the jokes and practical jokes of this day are dedicated exclusively to the part of the human body located below the waist from the back. It is very popular to put special rubber bags on the chair, which, when pressed, make sounds that are considered indecent in society. Everywhere you can find pictures, posters, badges with the call "Give me a kick", which, in fact, is the motto of Tail Day.

In Germany, April 1st is considered an unlucky day. The Germans believe that those born on this day will be unlucky. In the villages on April 1, they don’t work, they don’t start new businesses, they don’t let cattle out of their stalls. Adults and children deceive each other, sending them to carry out impossible tasks.

In Portugal, April Fool's Day falls on the Sunday and Monday before Lent. On this day, people throw flour at each other.

In France, those who believe in jokes and ridicule are called ""April fish"" (Poisson d" April) by analogy with a young April fish, which is very easy to catch. One of the common jokes is gluing a paper fish to a person's back.

In India, the holiday is called Holi Festival and is celebrated on March 31st. On this day, it is customary to joke with each other, smear paints, throw spices, jump over the fire and celebrate the arrival of spring.

In pagan Rus', April 1 was celebrated as the Day of Awakening Brownie. It was believed that the Brownie hibernated for the winter, like many forest spirits and animals. On April 1, people joked, had fun, laughed when they met Domovoy from hibernation. It was customary to dress up in ridiculous clothes, play tricks on each other and play the fool.
In Russia, the holiday on April 1 - April Fools' Day or Fools' Day, appeared thanks to Peter the Great. Once that day, the inhabitants of St. Petersburg were awakened by a fire alarm - as it turned out, a joke. There is a story that when, on the first day of April, a troupe of German actors instead of a performance put up a poster on the stage with the inscription "April First", Peter I, who came to the performance, was not offended and only said: "The liberty of the comedians."

In the homeland of many comedians - in Odessa - the holiday has become official. Every year the festival "Humorina" is held here.
And, of course, the main saying on this day is "April 1! I do not believe anybody!"".

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

Residents of many countries celebrate April 1st as April Fool's Day. This holiday has no religious or national background. It reminds us of the natural ability of a person to laugh, to feed on positive emotions. Let's take a closer look at the traditions of the holiday and fun entertainment that can cheer up people around.

Versions about the origin

The history of April Fool's Day still remains unsolved. Some researchers believe that it was based on folk festivals in honor of the spring solstice, which was celebrated by all peoples. To scare away the winter and lure the warmth, a commotion was arranged. People dressed up in masquerade costumes or put on clothes backwards, smeared themselves with paints, had fun, danced, arranged all sorts of fun.

In ancient Rome two thousand years ago there was a Feast of the Fools. True, it was celebrated in February. But the traditions were very similar: the Romans joked with each other, came up with funny jokes. The Icelandic sagas mention the custom of deceiving others on April 1st. It is believed that the gods introduced it in memory of Skadei, the daughter of the eternal giant Tiass. The Celts also praised on this day the god of laughter - Lud. Thus, the Day of Fools goes back to ancient pagan holidays and farcical culture.

France and "April fish"

Most researchers believe that the modern custom of celebrating April 1st, April Fool's Day, originated in the 14th century in Europe. This is due to the changeover to the Gregorian calendar in 1582. The New Year, which people used to celebrate on April 1st, suddenly moved to January 1st. Not everyone agreed with this. Those who celebrated the New Year in the spring in the old fashioned way began to be called "April Fools".

In France, the tradition of playing pranks on each other appeared earlier than in other countries. Already in the poems of the 1500s, "April fish" are mentioned. The French still imperceptibly fasten their paper images on the backs of acquaintances, giggling joyfully. Another trick of one eminent nobleman is described in the diary of 1539. He sent servants to all the shops in the area, ordering them to bring a non-existent worm ointment to heal the knees. The tradition of sending a simpleton somewhere with an impossible task is still alive.

Stubborn English jokes

At the end of the 17th century, the Scots and the British adopted the custom of celebrating April Fool's Day from the French. True, they called it April Fools' Day and came up with an interesting legend. According to it, in ancient times there was a custom: which ruler was the first to pass through the land, he became its owner. The inhabitants of a certain village did not want to fall under the power of the king and, in order to scare him away, staged a whole performance. They raised cattle to the roofs of their houses, threw fish into the lake, tried to pour water into dishes without a bottom, cooked food over extinguished hearths. The king decided that in front of him was a "village of idiots", and drove past.

The first mass drawing in England took place in 1860, when all Londoners were invited to attend the solemn washing of white lions. It was supposed to take place in the Tower on April 1, and hundreds of people came to stare at an unprecedented spectacle.

Fool's Day in Russia

Even before the adoption of Christianity in early April, our ancestors celebrated the awakening of the brownie. After hibernation, he was out of sorts, often mischievous: he spilled flour, hid things, confused horses' manes. To amuse Domovoy, the Slavs joked with each other, wore clothes turned inside out, put on different shoes on their feet. However, over time, these traditions were forgotten.

The April holiday returned to Russia in 1703, during the reign of Peter I. It was initiated by foreigners. The German actor promised that he would climb into a bottle in front of everyone. However, the audience saw instead of a presentation a shield with a call not to trust anyone on April 1. They say that the king himself fell for the hoax, and was amused by it.

World Traditions

Let's find out how this fun holiday is celebrated in different countries:

• April Fool's Day is celebrated twice in Scotland. On April 1, you can joke on any topic. April 2nd is called "Tail Day" and all pranks involve the lower back. They glue notes on him with calls "Kick me!", point out to the person the holes in his pants, the unbuttoned fly.
• In the US, you can run into gross "toilet jokes" like plastic excrement. But more often the pranks are trivial and involve a white back or untied shoelaces.
• In the Netherlands, people make up stories about famous politicians and actors, incredible discoveries and events involving third parties.
• In England, jokes are allowed only until noon, and the pranks must be fun and not injure the psyche.
• In Finland, children are sent to pick up fictitious tools (such as round scissors) from neighbors, who ferry them to the next yard, and so on, until someone takes pity on the kid.
• In Portugal, it is customary to throw flour at each other on this day.
• The Germans believe that only losers are born on April 1st. Any business started on this day is doomed to failure. It remains only to joke and play the fool.

Pranks in the media

Printed publications, radio and television are happy to join in the celebration of April Fool's Day. Let's list the most famous mass draws that caught hundreds of gullible citizens:

• In 1957, BBC News reported on a massive spaghetti crop grown on trees by Swiss farmers. Many viewers wanted to buy unusual seedlings.
• In 1878, the Graphic publication announced that the famous inventor T. Edison had invented a food machine. She can turn soil into breakfast cereal and plain water into wine. Many conservative newspapers bought into the prank and began to praise the useful invention.
• In 1986, the French publishing house Parisien reported that the Eiffel Tower would soon be dismantled and installed near the Marne River, next to the future Disneyland. The article resulted in a lot of indignant calls from citizens. The next day, the newspapermen admitted that they were joking.
• In 2007, the Englishman D. Bain posted on the Internet a photograph with the remains of a fairy. Some still can't believe they were ripped off.

Holiday in kindergarten

A sense of humor is instilled from an early age. That is why educators, together with preschoolers, prepare April Fools' performances. Their main characters are clowns and buffoons. You can invite Princess Nesmeyana to the Day of Laughter in the garden, which needs to be cheered up.

To do this, you need to collect a lot of multi-colored chuckles for the sad heroine. Their role can be played by balloons that children receive for participating in competitions. Adults offer them to find errors in fables, solve tasks for quick wit, make funny faces. Funny dances with unusual movements will be appropriate. Toddlers love to jump, scream, stomp their feet loudly, puff out their cheeks, show their tongues, stick out their ears, imitate animals.

Relay races for preschoolers

On the Day of Laughter and Smiles, the following competitions can be offered to children:

• "Baba Yaga". Children run the distance, riding a broom or a broom.
• "Turtles". The children get on all fours, put a basin on their backs and crawl, trying not to drop it.
• "Pull". Two kids grapple with their elbows and so run the distance.
• "Spider". Now four children are clinging with their elbows. You can complicate their task by drawing a winding cobweb on the floor.
• "Dragon". Three children hug each other by the neck and run forward. Extreme kids should wave their arms, imitating wings.
• "The weather is getting bad." At the end of the distance, a raincoat and an umbrella are placed on a chair. The child must run to these objects. Dressed in a raincoat and opening an umbrella, he runs around the chair three times, singing cheerfully: "It seems it's starting to rain." Then everything falls into place, and the baby returns to its original position.

All the balls earned for participating in relay races are put into bags by preschoolers and presented to Princess Nesmeyana. But they are too big. Therefore, fairy tale characters distract children with tricks or arrange a show of soap bubbles. At this moment, the bag of balls turns into a small bag of sweet dragees, which the Princess treats herself to.

Fun games for schoolchildren

April Fool's Day for children is one of the favorite holidays when you can make some noise and fool around. The following games will be appropriate both in the classroom and at a house party:

• "Monument to Ivan the Fool". First, the children make it from any means at hand, and then they make solemn speeches in honor of the opening.
• "Satiated Neighbor". The students are divided into pairs. Blindfolded, they must feed each other apples, cookies or chocolate bars.
• Relay "Matryoshka". At the end of the distance, a balloon is tied to a chair. The first player in the team must tie a scarf on him, the rest in turn draw eyes, nose, mouth, rosy cheeks. Whose beauty will be more elegant?
• "Jump higher." Paper is attached high to the wall. Children should draw something simple (house, sun, butterfly). But to get to the easel, they have to jump up.
• "Oink-meow." The two teams are shuffled. Blindfolded, they need to get together, focusing on the passwords "oink" and "meow". Who is faster?

youth party

Who will refuse bright impressions and cheerful entertainments? On April Fool's Day, you can arrange a cool party with dances and games for young people. Listed below are fun contests that will cheer up all those gathered:

• "Festival of Soap Bubbles". Competing teams are given soap bubbles. Their task is to arrange a colorful show and surpass their rivals. The result is a draw.
• "Stylists". Pairs of girls and boys participate. First, the guy must tie 10 ribbons on his companion as original as possible. Then, in this outfit, the lady makes the young man a stylish hairstyle with the help of a large number of colored hair bands.
• "Waters". Teams are given the task of pouring water from glasses into empty bowls as quickly as possible. The containers are at a decent distance from each other. Spoons are placed next to the glasses. After the teams spend 5 minutes fiddling with the latter, it can be clarified that no one forced the players to use the spoons.
• "Treasure hunters". A winding labyrinth with obstacles and a prize at the finish line is being constructed in the room. Participants pass it in fins, looking through binoculars from the back.

Holiday for adults

If your friends have become respectable people, but have not lost their youthful enthusiasm, invite them to April Fool's Day. The adult program may include the following activities:

• "Caught a fish!" Several men are asked to pretend they go fishing, cast their lines. For the sake of a better bite, volunteers make their way forward over the pebbles and roll up their trousers (so as not to wet them). After that, the competition "The owner of the most beautiful legs" is announced.
• "Guess." In the next competition, volunteers must drink water from glasses through a straw. True, one of them will have vodka instead of water. The task of the player is not to show it to the audience. The competition begins, the observers make assumptions. The secret is that the vodka is actually poured into the glasses of all the players.
• "Sobriety test". Guests quickly call diminutive forms of words: mother - mother, lamp - light bulb, goat - goat, bag - handbag, rose - rose, water ... After the answer "vodka", the audience is diagnosed with "increased botulism".
• "Believe - do not believe." Team members take turns telling implausible stories from their lives. Opponents have to guess if it really happened.

April Fool's Day is a great occasion to have fun in the company of close friends. Try to keep your jokes harmless and do not forget about self-irony. Laugh more, because by doing so you prolong your life!

April Fool's Day 2020 falls on April 1st. This is an international holiday celebrated in many countries around the world. It is also called April Fool's Day. On this day, it is customary to arrange pranks, make fun of relatives and colleagues.

The content of the article

history of the holiday

There are several versions of the origin of April Fool's Day. One of the early theories is connected with the innovation of the French king Charles IX. After the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, he moved the date of the celebration of the New Year from the end of March to January 1. Prior to this, the New Year holidays ended on April 1. Conservative and protesting people continued to celebrate the beginning of the year in the old style. The rest of the country's inhabitants called them "April Fools" and presented them with comic gifts that day.

An interesting version is presented by the inhabitants of Great Britain. On April 1, 1698, they tried to play a prank on the aristocrats of London, inviting them to watch a fascinating spectacle - the washing of lions in the royal menagerie of the Tower. The ladies and gentlemen were disappointed when they arrived at an event where they were deceived.

A massive April Fool's drawing took place in Moscow in 1703. On the streets of the city, heralds invited the townspeople to attend an "unheard-of performance." A huge crowd of spectators gathered at the indicated place. When the curtain opened in front of the people, they were amazed to see only the inscription on a huge canvas: "The first of April - do not trust anyone!"

Traditions and rituals of the holiday

On April Fool's Day, it is customary to have fun, make fun of people around you, and give cool gifts to friends. On this day, people are afraid of being deceived and, in response to unexpected requests or comments, say the phrase: “April 1! I do not believe anybody!". If someone manages to pull off a cruel joke, he says: “The fool was deceived by four fists!”.

The media publishes fictitious news on this holiday. Entertainment establishments arrange themed events. Movie theaters broadcast comedies.

Every year in the capital of humor - Odessa, a festival of humor and satire Yumorin is held. The event was first organized by the KVN (Club of the Cheerful and Resourceful) team in 1972. Since that time, carnival processions of clowns, mimes, animators, parades of KVN teams, concerts of street amateur performances, pop stars and musical groups, exhibitions of artists, masters of amateur performances have been held on the streets of Odessa on April 1. Tourists and fans of large-scale festivities from different parts of Ukraine and the world come to the festival. Various competitions and lotteries are arranged for them.

Popular April Fools' pranks and jokes

There are different ways to prank a person on April 1st. Draws have gained particular popularity among the youth.

A common expression on April Fool's Day is "Your shoelace is untied." Among schoolchildren, the joke “Your back is white” is popular. On April Fool's Day, office workers stick office supplies to the tables of colleagues, swap keys on the keyboard, and wrap the workplace with toilet paper. Common pranks for family members include setting all the clocks in the house one hour back or forward, sticking toothbrushes to the bottom of a cup.

Notable pranks in history

• On April 1, 2008, the BBC announced to its viewers that the penguins had learned to fly. She showed a video that captured this miracle. A few minutes later, the Air Force announced that it was an April Fool's joke.
• An interesting prank was arranged on April 1, 1986 by the Parisian newspaper Le Parisien. She announced that the country's government decided to dismantle the Eiffel Tower and move it to French Disneyland, and build a stadium for the Olympic Games in its place.
• On April 1, 1957, the BBC broadcast a prank on British television viewers. She showed a report about a big "spaghetti harvest" in Switzerland. In the story, local farmers plucked pasta from trees and put it in baskets.

Signs and beliefs

• Being offended by April Fools' jokes is considered bad manners.
• Play pranks on friends after 12 noon - unfortunately.
• In a couple that will marry on April 1, the wife will be the head of the family.
• Children who were born on April 1 will be successful in everything except gambling.
• If you do not reciprocate jokes on April Fool's Day, then misfortune can happen.

April Fool's Day is an international celebration of humor. April 1 is a good occasion to play a trick on your loved ones or colleagues. On this day, you should not be offended by jokes, but you should reciprocate. The main thing is that the pranks are good-natured and do no harm.

On the first of April, one of the most fun and unusual holidays is celebrated all over the world.

On this day, people disinterestedly and kindly seek to play each other or just make others smile.

This holiday has several names: April Fool's Day, April Fool's Day, Humor Day. But have you ever thought about where he came to us from and where his roots lead.

Versions of the origin of the holiday

Today, there are several generally accepted versions of the origin of April Fool's Day. Until recently, it was believed that this holiday was first celebrated in the Middle Ages, but scientists managed to find out that its origin dates back to even more ancient times.

Here are some common versions of the origin of World Laughter Day:

Jokes and pranks were already inherent in people living at that time. True, they celebrated the Day of the Fools and this happened, as a rule, in mid-February.

But the Celts celebrated a kind of April Fool's Day on the first of April. Their holiday was dedicated to the god of laughter, Lud.

The second version, as mentioned above, refers to the Middle Ages.

Scientists believe that it is she who is the most reliable. It all started, by the way, quite seriously.

In 1583, Pope Gregory XIII adopted a reform that moved the celebration of the New Year from April 1 to January 1. However, due to the fact that at that time there were big problems with the transfer of information, some ignorant people continued to celebrate it in the old fashioned way in the spring.

Well, those who knew about the official postponement of the holiday began to call their compatriots ignorant fools. That's how April Fool's Day was born.

A little later, this holiday began to acquire various traditions. The most thematic of them was the one according to which a fish made of paper was glued on the back of a person on the day of the first of April. Over time, the tradition of celebrating April Fool's Day gradually spread throughout Europe, and then throughout the world.

How April Fool's Day appeared in Russia

In our vast country, the history of the holiday on April 1 is closely connected with the name of Emperor Peter I.

The Day of Humor began to be celebrated precisely thanks to him, because this man was a big fan of practical jokes.

In general, this tradition was brought to Russia by the Germans, who at that time lived in St. Petersburg and in other regions of the country. Initially, April Fool's Day was celebrated only in Nemetskaya Sloboda. Then this holiday gradually became popular among representatives of the local nobility.

It was a lot of fun that day in the courts of privileged persons. The most skillful jesters entertained the hosts and guests until late at night. It is important to note that the majority of ordinary townspeople and peasants were initially skeptical about the new tradition and did not perceive April Fool's Day for quite some time.

However, during this holiday, buffoons and mummers roamed the streets, who did their best to entertain the people.

Today, April Fool's Day is celebrated in Russia regularly. Friends, colleagues and relatives try to prank each other.

And this applies to both banal jokes from the category “your entire back is white”, to subtle witty jokes and practical jokes.

Those who want to play a trick on another person should remember that this should be done in such a way as not to offend anyone. After all, April Fool's Day is not only the most fun, but also a good holiday, which means that all the emotions that people experience during pranks should cause joy.

Do not forget that laughter prolongs life, and be sure to prepare some fun surprises for friends and loved ones for the first of April. However, you can kindly play others not only on April Fool's Day. Smile more often and give each other joy.