Jakarta –
One of the global celebrations that is celebrated every year is April Mop or April Fools Day. April Fool’s Day or April Fool’s Day falls on April 1.
So, what is meant by April Fool’s Day? What is the origin of April Fool’s Day every April 1? See the explanation below.
Reported by the History site, April Fools’ Day or April Fool’s Day, which falls on April 1 every year, has been celebrated for several centuries by various cultures. April Fool’s Day traditions include telling hoaxes or practical jokes on others, often shouting “April Fool!” at the end for hints about April Fool’s Day joke topics.
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Usually, the target of the perpetrator cannot be angry because that day is April Fool’s Day. April Fools Day in several countries is celebrated by doing the following things.
1. France
April Fools’ Day or April Fools’ Day in France is celebrated by attaching paper fish to their backs called “poisson d’avril” (April fish), to symbolize easy-to-catch fish and gullible people. French children used to pin paper fish to the backs of unsuspecting friends.
2. Scotland
April Fools’ Day in Scotland is also called Gowkie Day. The term comes from the terms gowk or cuckoo as symbols of stupid people. April Fool’s Day celebrations in Scotland last for two days.
The event starts with hunting “the gowk”, where people will be asked to carry out fake orders. On the following day, called Tailie Day, pranks are carried out on other people’s buttocks, for example by attaching fake tails or sticking “kick me” words on them.
It is not known for certain about the origin of the April Fools’ Day celebration. There are several versions regarding the origins of April Fool’s Day every April 1. According to the Britannica website, April Fool’s Day resembles the Hilaria festival which is held on March 25 and the Holi celebration in India which ends on March 31.
The Hilaria Festival was celebrated in ancient Rome by followers of the Cybele cult. In this festival, people will wear disguises and mock fellow citizens and even judges. The festival was inspired by the Egyptian legend of Isis, Osiris and Seth.
According to the History site, one historian said: April Mop starting from 1582. At that time, France no longer used the Julian calendar and switched to the Gregorian Calendar. The calendar has differences regarding the start of the new year.
In the Julian Calendar, the start of the new year begins with the spring equinox around April 1. Meanwhile, in the Gregorian calendar, the start of the new year begins on January 1.
People who were late to this calendar change didn’t realize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1st. They also continue to celebrate New Year in the last week of March until April 1.
Their actions became the subject of jokes and hoaxes, earning them the nickname “April Fools”. Ridicule for being late in learning about the changes at the start of the new year is also carried out by carrying out other pranks, including sticking paper fish on their backs which are known as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), to symbolize easy-to-catch fish and gullible people.
Also check out ‘Worth To Know: The Origin of April Fool’s Day’:
(kny/idn)