Что такое праздник дураков

«Праздник дураков»

«Праздник дураков»

В средние века в Европе, особенно во Франции и Италии, проводился необычный праздник, который назывался «праздником дураков». Это был веселый религиозный фестиваль-бурлеск, когда христианская месса превращалась в своеобразный фарс. Нужно отметить, что этот праздник организовывался отнюдь не врагами Церкви, а скорее самыми благочестивыми членами клира. Он обычно проходил в середине декабря и длился несколько дней.

В начале празднества самые высокие иерархические чины — епископы и архиепископы — передавались представителям низшего слоя клириков, нарушая тем самым все принятые церковные законы. Эти люди получали облачения, соответствующие их высокому сану, и вели себя так, словно они на самом деле важные церковные «шишки». Им вручались пастырские посохи и предоставлялось право на торжественное благословение прихожан.

Проводимая ими месса в городском соборе, однако, не имела ничего общего с нормальной церковной службой. Это была обманная месса, на которой ненастоящему епископу прислуживали ненастоящие священнослужители в женских одеждах. Вместо обычных торжественных молитв в храме распевали похабные песенки, а вокруг алтаря водили веселые хороводы.

Во время этой невероятной церковной службы клирики вели себя так, словно они не в храме, а где-нибудь в харчевне, так как они на ходу проглатывали горячие сосиски и на алтаре играли в карты. Вместо обычного ладана в храме жгли старую обувь.

Хотя неоднократно предпринимались усилия с целью наложения запрета на подобный обычай, он все равно пользовался громадной популярностью как среди верующих, так и у клира, и поэтому дожил в Европе до эпохи Реформации. Еще в 1645 году во Франции в некоторых монастырях отмечался «праздник дураков». Вот как его описывал один автор:

«Участники держали в руках священные книги вверх тормашками и притворялись, что читают их через очки, в которых вместо стекол были вставлены кусочки какой-то странной кожуры, при этом они что-то мямлили, путая слова, и издавали такие дикие, смешные, глупые и неприятные вопли, поднимали такой ужасный визг, что казалось, это не люди, а стадо разъяренных свиней».

Он явно осуждал такие действа:

«Лучше на самом деле пригласить в храм животных, чтобы те на свой манер вознесли славу Господу, чем выносить эту орущую толпу людей, которые, по сути дела, насмехались над Богом, делая при этом вид, что его восхваляют. Такие люди глупее и бессмысленнее, чем самые глупые и бессмысленные звери».

В кафедральном соборе французского города Сан проводился своеобразный вариант такого праздника, получивший название «праздник осла». В церковь несколько членов клира приводили осла. Во время проведения мессы осел становился центром всеобщего внимания, и вокруг него начинались всевозможные смешные церемонии в духе настоящего бурлеска. Они могли продолжаться часами.

April Fools’ Day
An April Fools’ Day prank marking the construction of the Copenhagen Metro in 2001
Also called	April Fool’s Day
Type	Cultural, Western
Significance	Practical jokes, pranks
Observances	Comedy
Date	1 April
Next time	1 April 2023
Frequency	Annual

April Fools’ Day or All Fools’ Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting «April Fools!» at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may be revealed as such the following day. The custom of setting aside a day for playing harmless pranks upon one’s neighbour has been relatively common in the world historically.^[1]

Origins[edit]

Although the origins of April Fools’ is unknown, there are many theories surrounding it.

A disputed association between 1 April and foolishness is in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (1392).^[2] In the «Nun’s Priest’s Tale», a vain cock Chauntecleer is tricked by a fox on «Since March began thirty days and two,»^[3][4] i.e. 32 days since March began, which is 1 April.^[5] However, it is not clear that Chaucer was referencing 1 April since the text of the «Nun’s Priest’s Tale» also states that the story takes place on the day when the sun is «in the sign of Taurus had y-rune Twenty degrees and one,» which would not be 1 April. Modern scholars believe that there is a copying error in the extant manuscripts and that Chaucer actually wrote, «Syn March was gon«.^[6] If so, the passage would have originally meant 32 days after March, i.e. 2 May,^[7] the anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia, which took place in 1381.

In 1508, French poet Eloy d’Amerval referred to a poisson d’avril (April fool, literally «April’s fish»), possibly the first reference to the celebration in France.^[8] Some historians suggest that April Fools’ originated because, in the Middle Ages, New Year’s Day was celebrated on 25 March in most European towns,^[9] with a holiday that in some areas of France, specifically, ended on 1 April,^[10][11] and those who celebrated New Year’s Eve on 1 January made fun of those who celebrated on other dates by the invention of April Fools’ Day.^[12] The use of 1 January as New Year’s Day became common in France only in the mid-16th century,^[7] and that date was not adopted officially until 1564, by the Edict of Roussillon, as called for during the Council of Trent in 1563.^[13] However, there are issues with this theory because there is an unambiguous reference to April Fools’ Day in a 1561 poem by Flemish poet Eduard de Dene of a nobleman who sends his servants on foolish errands on 1 April, predating the change.^[7] April Fools’ Day was also an established tradition in Great Britain before 1 January was established as the start of the calendar year.^[14][15]

In the Netherlands, the origin of April Fools’ Day is often attributed to the Dutch victory in 1572 in the Capture of Brielle, where the Spanish Duke Álvarez de Toledo was defeated. «Op 1 april verloor Alva zijn bril» is a Dutch proverb, which can be translated as: «On the first of April, Alva lost his glasses». In this case, «bril» («glasses» in Dutch) serves as a homonym for Brielle (the town where it happened). This theory, however, provides no explanation for the international celebration of April Fools’ Day.

In 1686, John Aubrey referred to the celebration as «Fooles holy day», the first British reference.^[7] On 1 April 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to «see the Lions washed».^[7]

Although no biblical scholar or historian is known to have mentioned a relationship, some have expressed the belief that the origins of April Fools’ Day may go back to the Genesis flood narrative. In a 1908 edition of the Harper’s Weekly cartoonist Bertha R. McDonald wrote:

Authorities gravely back with it to the time of Noah and the ark. The London Public Advertiser of March 13, 1769, printed: «The mistake of Noah sending the dove out of the ark before the water had abated, on the first day of April, and to perpetuate the memory of this deliverance it was thought proper, whoever forgot so remarkable a circumstance, to punish them by sending them upon some sleeveless errand similar to that ineffectual message upon which the bird was sent by the patriarch».^[1]

Long-standing customs[edit]

United Kingdom[edit]

In the UK, an April Fool prank is sometimes later revealed by shouting «April fool!» at the recipient, who becomes the «April fool». A study in the 1950s, by folklorists Iona and Peter Opie, found that in the UK, and in countries whose traditions derived from the UK, this continues to be the practice, with the custom ceasing at noon, after which time it is no longer acceptable to play pranks.^[16] Thus a person playing a prank after midday is considered the «April fool» themselves.^[17]

In Scotland, April Fools’ Day was originally called «Huntigowk Day«.^[18] The name is a corruption of «hunt the gowk«, gowk being Scots for a cuckoo or a foolish person; alternative terms in Gaelic would be Là na Gocaireachd, «gowking day», or Là Ruith na Cuthaige, «the day of running the cuckoo». The traditional prank is to ask someone to deliver a sealed message that supposedly requests help of some sort. In fact, the message reads «Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile.» The recipient, upon reading it, will explain they can only help if they first contact another person, and they send the victim to this next person with an identical message, with the same result.^[18]

In England a «fool» is known by a few different names around the country, including «noodle», «gob», «gobby», or «noddy».

Ireland[edit]

In Ireland, it was traditional to entrust the victim with an «important letter» to be given to a named person. That person would read the letter, then ask the victim to take it to someone else, and so on. The letter when opened contained the words «send the fool further».^[19]

Italy, France, Belgium, French-speaking areas[edit]

In Italy, France, Belgium and French-speaking areas of Switzerland and Canada, the 1 April tradition is often known as «April fish» (poisson d’avril in French, april vis in Dutch or pesce d’aprile in Italian). Possible pranks include attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim’s back without being noticed. This fish feature is prominently present on many late 19th- to early 20th-century French April Fools’ Day postcards. Many newspapers also spread a false story on April Fish Day, and a subtle reference to a fish is sometimes given as a clue to the fact that it is an April Fools’ prank.^{[citation needed]}

Germany[edit]

In Germany, an April Fool prank is sometimes later revealed by shouting «April, April!» at the recipient, who becomes the «April fool».^{[citation needed]}

Nordic countries[edit]

Danes, Finns, Icelanders, Norwegians and Swedes celebrate April Fools’ Day (aprilsnar in Danish; aprillipäivä in Finnish; aprilsnarr in Norwegian; aprilskämt in Swedish). Most news media outlets will publish exactly one false story on 1 April; for newspapers this will typically be a first-page article but not the top headline.^[20]

Poland (Prima aprilis)[edit]

In Poland, prima aprilis («First April» in Latin) as a day of pranks is a centuries-long tradition. It is a day when many pranks are played: hoaxes – sometimes very sophisticated – are prepared by people, media (which often cooperate to make the «information» more credible) and even public institutions. Serious activities are usually avoided, and generally every word said on 1 April could be untrue. The conviction for this is so strong that the Polish anti-Turkish alliance with Leopold I signed on 1 April 1683, was backdated to 31 March.^[21] However, for some in Poland prima aprilis ends at noon of 1 April and prima aprilis jokes after that hour are considered inappropriate and not classy.

Ukraine[edit]

April Fools’ Day is widely celebrated in Odessa and has the special local name Humorina — in Ukrainian Гуморина (Humorina). This holiday arose in 1973.^[22] An April Fool prank is revealed by saying «Первое Апреля, никому не верю» («Pervoye Aprelya, nikomu ne veryu«) — which means «First of April, I trust nobody» — to the recipient. The festival includes a large parade in the city centre, free concerts, street fairs and performances. Festival participants dress up in a variety of costumes and walk around the city fooling around and pranking passersby. One of the traditions on April Fools’ Day is to dress up the main city monument in funny clothes. Humorina even has its own logo — a cheerful sailor in a lifebelt — whose author was the artist Arkady Tsykun.^[23] During the festival, special souvenirs bearing the logo are printed and sold everywhere. Since 2010, April Fools’ Day celebrations include an International Clown Festival and both celebrated as one. In 2019, the festival was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Odessa Film Studio and all events were held with an emphasis on cinema.^[24]

Spanish-speaking countries[edit]

In many Spanish-speaking countries (and the Philippines), «Día de los Santos Inocentes» (Holy Innocents Day) is a festivity which is very similar to April Fools’ Day, but it is celebrated in late December (27, 28 or 29 depending on the location).^{[citation needed]}

Turkey[edit]

Turkey also has a custom of April Fools’ pranks.^[25] Pranks and jokes are usually verbal and are revealed by shouting «Bir Nisan!» (April 1st!).

Iran[edit]

In Iran, it is called «Dorugh-e Sizdah» (lie of Thirteen) and people and media prank on 13 Farvardin (Sizdah bedar) that is equivalent of 1 April. It is a tradition that takes place 13 days after the Persian new year Nowruz. On this day, people go out and leave their houses and have fun outside mostly in natural parks.
Pranks have reportedly been played on this holiday since 536 BC in the Achaemenid Empire.

Israel[edit]

Israel has adopted the custom of pranking on April Fools’ Day.^[26]

Lebanon[edit]

In Lebanon, an April Fool prank is revealed by saying كذبة أول نيسان (which means «First of April Lie») to the recipient.

Pranks[edit]

A common prank is to carefully remove the cream from an Oreo and replace it with toothpaste, and there are many similar pranks that replace an object (usually food) with another object that looks like the object but tastes different such as replacing sugar with salt and vanilla frosting with sour cream. As well as people playing pranks on one another on April Fools’ Day, elaborate pranks have appeared on radio and television stations, newspapers, and websites, and have been performed by large corporations. In one famous prank in 1957, the BBC broadcast a film in their Panorama current affairs series purporting to show Swiss farmers picking freshly-grown spaghetti, in what they called the Swiss spaghetti harvest. The BBC was soon flooded with requests to purchase a spaghetti plant, forcing them to declare the film a hoax on the news the next day.^[27]

With the advent of the Internet and readily available global news services, April Fools’ pranks can catch and embarrass a wider audience than ever before.^[28]

Comparable prank days[edit]

28 December[edit]

28 December, the equivalent day in Spain and Hispanic America, is also the Christian day of celebration of the Day of the Holy Innocents. The Christian celebration is a religious holiday in its own right, but the tradition of pranks is not, though the latter is observed yearly. In some regions of Hispanic America after a prank is played, the cry is made, «Inocente palomita que te dejaste engañar» («You innocent little dove that let yourself be fooled!»; not to be confused with another meaning of palomita, which means «popcorn» in some dialects).^{[citation needed]}

In Argentina, the prankster says, «¡Que la inocencia te valga!» which roughly translates as advice to not be as gullible as the victim of the prank. In Spain, it is common to say just «¡Inocente!» (which in Spanish can mean «innocent» or «gullible»).^[29]

In Colombia, the term is used as «Pásala por Inocentes«, which roughly means: «Let it go; today it’s Innocent’s Day.»^{[citation needed]}

In Belgium, this day is also known as the «Day of the Innocent Children» or «Day of the Stupid Children». It used to be a day where parents, grandparents, and teachers would fool the children in some way. But the celebration of this day has died out in favour of April Fools’ Day.^{[citation needed]}

Nevertheless, on the Spanish island of Menorca, Dia d’enganyar («Fooling day») is celebrated on 1 April because Menorca was a British possession during part of the 18th century. In Brazil, the «Dia da mentira» («Day of the lie») is also celebrated on 1 April^[29] due to the Portuguese influence.

First day of a new month[edit]

In many English-speaking countries, mainly Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, it is a custom to say «pinch and a punch for the first of the month» or an alternative, typically by children. The victim might respond with «a flick and a kick for being so quick», and the attacker might reply with «a punch in the eye for being so sly».^[30]

Another custom in Britain and North America is to say «rabbit rabbit» upon waking on the first day of a month, for good luck.^[31]

Reception[edit]

The practice of April Fool pranks and hoaxes is controversial.^[17][32] The mixed opinions of critics are epitomized in the reception to the 1957 BBC «spaghetti-tree hoax», in reference to which, newspapers were split over whether it was «a great joke or a terrible hoax on the public».^[33]

The positive view is that April Fools’ can be good for one’s health because it encourages «jokes, hoaxes … pranks, [and] belly laughs», and brings all the benefits of laughter including stress relief and reducing strain on the heart.^[34] There are many «best of» April Fools’ Day lists that are compiled in order to showcase the best examples of how the day is celebrated.^[35] Various April Fools’ campaigns have been praised for their innovation, creativity, writing, and general effort.^[36]

The negative view describes April Fools’ hoaxes as «creepy and manipulative», «rude» and «a little bit nasty», as well as based on Schadenfreude and deceit.^[32] When genuine news or a genuine important order or warning is issued on April Fools’ Day, there is risk that it will be misinterpreted as a joke and ignored – for example, when Google, known to play elaborate April Fools’ Day hoaxes, announced the launch of Gmail with 1-gigabyte inboxes in 2004, an era when competing webmail services offered 4-megabytes or less, many dismissed it as a joke outright.^[37][38] On the other hand, sometimes stories intended as jokes are taken seriously. Either way, there can be adverse effects, such as confusion,^[39] misinformation, waste of resources (especially when the hoax concerns people in danger) and even legal or commercial consequences.^[40][41]

In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, various organizations and people cancelled their April Fools’ Day celebrations, or advocated against observing April Fools’ Day, as a mark of respect due to the large amount of tragic deaths that COVID-19 had caused up to that point, the wish to provide truthful information to counter the misinformation about the virus, and to pre-empt any attempts to incorporate the virus into any potential pranks.^[42][43] For example, Google decided not to continue «its infamous April Fools’ jokes» tradition for that year.^[44] Because the pandemic was still ongoing a year later in 2021, they also decided not to do pranks that year.^[45]

In Thailand, the police warned ahead of April Fools’ in 2021 that posting or sharing fake news online could lead to maximum of five years imprisonment.^[46]

Other examples of genuine news on 1 April mistaken as a hoax include:

• 1 April 1946: Warnings about the Aleutian Island earthquake’s tsunami that killed 165 people in Hawaii and Alaska.^[47]
• 1 April 1984: News that the singer Marvin Gaye was shot and killed the day before his 45th birthday by his father Marvin Gay Sr. (sic) on 1 April 1984. Several people close to Gaye such as fellow singers Smokey Robinson and Jermaine Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson didn’t believe the news initially and had to phone call other people who knew Gaye to confirm the news, Al Sharpton during his interview for the VH1 documentary VH1’s Most Shocking Moments in Rock & Roll referenced the coincidence of the date when he said that Gaye’s death came «like a sick, sad joke to all of us.»^{[48][49][50][51][52]}
• 1 April 1995: News that the singer Selena was shot and killed by the former president of her fan club Yolanda Saldívar on 31 March 1995. When radio station KEDA broke the news on 31 March 1995, many people accused the staff of lying because the next day was April Fools’ Day.^[53]
• 1 April 2004: Gmail is announced to the public by Google. Some of the announced features for the service were not considered technologically possible with the technology available in 2004.^[54]
• 1 April 2005: News that the comedian Mitch Hedberg had died on 29 March 2005.^[55]
• 1 April 2005: Announcement about Powerpuff Girls Z, by Aniplex, Cartoon Network and Toei Animation. The TV show was an anime adaption of the cartoon The Powerpuff Girls and the idea that a cartoon would get turned into an anime was considered very outlandish in 2005 as this was the first time it happened.^[56]
• 1 April 2008: Announcement that the NationStates government simulation browser game had received a cease and desist letter from the United Nations (UN) for unauthorized usage of its name and emblem for the fictional intergovernmental organization where players (as nations) can create and vote on international law within the game world and that due to this, NationStates has now changed its version of the UN into the «World Assembly» (WA) with a different emblem. On 2 April 2008, NationStates developer Max Barry revealed that the letter from the UN was in fact real and he had actually received it on 21 January 2008 but chose only to start complying with it on 1 April to deliberately fool people into thinking the announcement was the annual NationStates April Fools prank and that because the legal action was real, the changes are permanent.^[57][58]
• 1 April 2009: Announcement that the long running soap opera Guiding Light was being cancelled. The date was so heavily associated with jokes and pranks that even some of the cast and crew didn’t believe the news when it was announced by CBS, the TV network that aired the show.^[59]
• 1 April 2011: Isaiah Thomas declared for the NBA draft. Thomas is short and basketball players in the NBA are usually taller than average as height gives advantage to playing basketball.^[60]

In popular culture[edit]

Books, films, telemovies and television episodes have used April Fools’ Day as their title or inspiration. Examples include Bryce Courtenay’s novel April Fool’s Day (1993), whose title refers to the day Courtenay’s son died. The 1990s sitcom Roseanne featured an episode titled «April Fools’ Day». This turned out to be intentionally misleading, as the episode was about Tax Day in the United States on 15 April – the last day to submit the previous year’s tax information. Although Tax Day is usually 15 April as depicted in the episode, it can be moved back a few days if that day is on a weekend or a holiday in Washington, D.C. or some states, or due to natural disasters when it can occur as late as 15 July.^[61]

Further reading[edit]

• Wainwright, Martin (2007). The Guardian Book of April Fool’s Day. Aurum. ISBN 978-1-84513-155-5.
• Dundes, Alan (1988). «April Fool and April Fish: Towards a Theory of Ritual Pranks». Etnofoor. 1 (1): 4–14. JSTOR 25757645.
• Similar events documented by other Wiki languages also exist such as Poisson d’avril (France) and in the USA the International day of the joke event which is assigned the first Sunday in May.^[62]

See also[edit]

• Feast of Fools, a similar medieval festival
• List of April Fools’ Day jokes
• List of practical joke topics

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• Patoski, Joe Nick (1996). Selena: Como La Flor. Boston: Little Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-69378-3.
• Ritz, David (1991). Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81191-X.

External links[edit]

• Wikipedia victim of onslaught of April Fool’s jokes at Wikinews
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). «April-Fools’ Day» . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• «Top 100 April Fools’ Day hoaxes of all time». Museum of Hoaxes.
• «April Fools’ Day On The Web: List of all known April Fools’ Day Jokes websites from 2004 until present».

April Fools’ Day
An April Fools’ Day prank marking the construction of the Copenhagen Metro in 2001
Also called	April Fool’s Day
Type	Cultural, Western
Significance	Practical jokes, pranks
Observances	Comedy
Date	1 April
Next time	1 April 2023
Frequency	Annual

April Fools’ Day or All Fools’ Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting «April Fools!» at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may be revealed as such the following day. The custom of setting aside a day for playing harmless pranks upon one’s neighbour has been relatively common in the world historically.^[1]

Origins[edit]

Although the origins of April Fools’ is unknown, there are many theories surrounding it.

A disputed association between 1 April and foolishness is in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (1392).^[2] In the «Nun’s Priest’s Tale», a vain cock Chauntecleer is tricked by a fox on «Since March began thirty days and two,»^[3][4] i.e. 32 days since March began, which is 1 April.^[5] However, it is not clear that Chaucer was referencing 1 April since the text of the «Nun’s Priest’s Tale» also states that the story takes place on the day when the sun is «in the sign of Taurus had y-rune Twenty degrees and one,» which would not be 1 April. Modern scholars believe that there is a copying error in the extant manuscripts and that Chaucer actually wrote, «Syn March was gon«.^[6] If so, the passage would have originally meant 32 days after March, i.e. 2 May,^[7] the anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia, which took place in 1381.

In 1508, French poet Eloy d’Amerval referred to a poisson d’avril (April fool, literally «April’s fish»), possibly the first reference to the celebration in France.^[8] Some historians suggest that April Fools’ originated because, in the Middle Ages, New Year’s Day was celebrated on 25 March in most European towns,^[9] with a holiday that in some areas of France, specifically, ended on 1 April,^[10][11] and those who celebrated New Year’s Eve on 1 January made fun of those who celebrated on other dates by the invention of April Fools’ Day.^[12] The use of 1 January as New Year’s Day became common in France only in the mid-16th century,^[7] and that date was not adopted officially until 1564, by the Edict of Roussillon, as called for during the Council of Trent in 1563.^[13] However, there are issues with this theory because there is an unambiguous reference to April Fools’ Day in a 1561 poem by Flemish poet Eduard de Dene of a nobleman who sends his servants on foolish errands on 1 April, predating the change.^[7] April Fools’ Day was also an established tradition in Great Britain before 1 January was established as the start of the calendar year.^[14][15]

In the Netherlands, the origin of April Fools’ Day is often attributed to the Dutch victory in 1572 in the Capture of Brielle, where the Spanish Duke Álvarez de Toledo was defeated. «Op 1 april verloor Alva zijn bril» is a Dutch proverb, which can be translated as: «On the first of April, Alva lost his glasses». In this case, «bril» («glasses» in Dutch) serves as a homonym for Brielle (the town where it happened). This theory, however, provides no explanation for the international celebration of April Fools’ Day.

In 1686, John Aubrey referred to the celebration as «Fooles holy day», the first British reference.^[7] On 1 April 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to «see the Lions washed».^[7]

Although no biblical scholar or historian is known to have mentioned a relationship, some have expressed the belief that the origins of April Fools’ Day may go back to the Genesis flood narrative. In a 1908 edition of the Harper’s Weekly cartoonist Bertha R. McDonald wrote:

Authorities gravely back with it to the time of Noah and the ark. The London Public Advertiser of March 13, 1769, printed: «The mistake of Noah sending the dove out of the ark before the water had abated, on the first day of April, and to perpetuate the memory of this deliverance it was thought proper, whoever forgot so remarkable a circumstance, to punish them by sending them upon some sleeveless errand similar to that ineffectual message upon which the bird was sent by the patriarch».^[1]

Long-standing customs[edit]

United Kingdom[edit]

In the UK, an April Fool prank is sometimes later revealed by shouting «April fool!» at the recipient, who becomes the «April fool». A study in the 1950s, by folklorists Iona and Peter Opie, found that in the UK, and in countries whose traditions derived from the UK, this continues to be the practice, with the custom ceasing at noon, after which time it is no longer acceptable to play pranks.^[16] Thus a person playing a prank after midday is considered the «April fool» themselves.^[17]

In Scotland, April Fools’ Day was originally called «Huntigowk Day«.^[18] The name is a corruption of «hunt the gowk«, gowk being Scots for a cuckoo or a foolish person; alternative terms in Gaelic would be Là na Gocaireachd, «gowking day», or Là Ruith na Cuthaige, «the day of running the cuckoo». The traditional prank is to ask someone to deliver a sealed message that supposedly requests help of some sort. In fact, the message reads «Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile.» The recipient, upon reading it, will explain they can only help if they first contact another person, and they send the victim to this next person with an identical message, with the same result.^[18]

In England a «fool» is known by a few different names around the country, including «noodle», «gob», «gobby», or «noddy».

Ireland[edit]

In Ireland, it was traditional to entrust the victim with an «important letter» to be given to a named person. That person would read the letter, then ask the victim to take it to someone else, and so on. The letter when opened contained the words «send the fool further».^[19]

Italy, France, Belgium, French-speaking areas[edit]

In Italy, France, Belgium and French-speaking areas of Switzerland and Canada, the 1 April tradition is often known as «April fish» (poisson d’avril in French, april vis in Dutch or pesce d’aprile in Italian). Possible pranks include attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim’s back without being noticed. This fish feature is prominently present on many late 19th- to early 20th-century French April Fools’ Day postcards. Many newspapers also spread a false story on April Fish Day, and a subtle reference to a fish is sometimes given as a clue to the fact that it is an April Fools’ prank.^{[citation needed]}

Germany[edit]

In Germany, an April Fool prank is sometimes later revealed by shouting «April, April!» at the recipient, who becomes the «April fool».^{[citation needed]}

Nordic countries[edit]

Danes, Finns, Icelanders, Norwegians and Swedes celebrate April Fools’ Day (aprilsnar in Danish; aprillipäivä in Finnish; aprilsnarr in Norwegian; aprilskämt in Swedish). Most news media outlets will publish exactly one false story on 1 April; for newspapers this will typically be a first-page article but not the top headline.^[20]

Poland (Prima aprilis)[edit]

In Poland, prima aprilis («First April» in Latin) as a day of pranks is a centuries-long tradition. It is a day when many pranks are played: hoaxes – sometimes very sophisticated – are prepared by people, media (which often cooperate to make the «information» more credible) and even public institutions. Serious activities are usually avoided, and generally every word said on 1 April could be untrue. The conviction for this is so strong that the Polish anti-Turkish alliance with Leopold I signed on 1 April 1683, was backdated to 31 March.^[21] However, for some in Poland prima aprilis ends at noon of 1 April and prima aprilis jokes after that hour are considered inappropriate and not classy.

Ukraine[edit]

April Fools’ Day is widely celebrated in Odessa and has the special local name Humorina — in Ukrainian Гуморина (Humorina). This holiday arose in 1973.^[22] An April Fool prank is revealed by saying «Первое Апреля, никому не верю» («Pervoye Aprelya, nikomu ne veryu«) — which means «First of April, I trust nobody» — to the recipient. The festival includes a large parade in the city centre, free concerts, street fairs and performances. Festival participants dress up in a variety of costumes and walk around the city fooling around and pranking passersby. One of the traditions on April Fools’ Day is to dress up the main city monument in funny clothes. Humorina even has its own logo — a cheerful sailor in a lifebelt — whose author was the artist Arkady Tsykun.^[23] During the festival, special souvenirs bearing the logo are printed and sold everywhere. Since 2010, April Fools’ Day celebrations include an International Clown Festival and both celebrated as one. In 2019, the festival was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Odessa Film Studio and all events were held with an emphasis on cinema.^[24]

Spanish-speaking countries[edit]

In many Spanish-speaking countries (and the Philippines), «Día de los Santos Inocentes» (Holy Innocents Day) is a festivity which is very similar to April Fools’ Day, but it is celebrated in late December (27, 28 or 29 depending on the location).^{[citation needed]}

Turkey[edit]

Turkey also has a custom of April Fools’ pranks.^[25] Pranks and jokes are usually verbal and are revealed by shouting «Bir Nisan!» (April 1st!).

Iran[edit]

In Iran, it is called «Dorugh-e Sizdah» (lie of Thirteen) and people and media prank on 13 Farvardin (Sizdah bedar) that is equivalent of 1 April. It is a tradition that takes place 13 days after the Persian new year Nowruz. On this day, people go out and leave their houses and have fun outside mostly in natural parks.
Pranks have reportedly been played on this holiday since 536 BC in the Achaemenid Empire.

Israel[edit]

Israel has adopted the custom of pranking on April Fools’ Day.^[26]

Lebanon[edit]

In Lebanon, an April Fool prank is revealed by saying كذبة أول نيسان (which means «First of April Lie») to the recipient.

Pranks[edit]

A common prank is to carefully remove the cream from an Oreo and replace it with toothpaste, and there are many similar pranks that replace an object (usually food) with another object that looks like the object but tastes different such as replacing sugar with salt and vanilla frosting with sour cream. As well as people playing pranks on one another on April Fools’ Day, elaborate pranks have appeared on radio and television stations, newspapers, and websites, and have been performed by large corporations. In one famous prank in 1957, the BBC broadcast a film in their Panorama current affairs series purporting to show Swiss farmers picking freshly-grown spaghetti, in what they called the Swiss spaghetti harvest. The BBC was soon flooded with requests to purchase a spaghetti plant, forcing them to declare the film a hoax on the news the next day.^[27]

With the advent of the Internet and readily available global news services, April Fools’ pranks can catch and embarrass a wider audience than ever before.^[28]

Comparable prank days[edit]

28 December[edit]

28 December, the equivalent day in Spain and Hispanic America, is also the Christian day of celebration of the Day of the Holy Innocents. The Christian celebration is a religious holiday in its own right, but the tradition of pranks is not, though the latter is observed yearly. In some regions of Hispanic America after a prank is played, the cry is made, «Inocente palomita que te dejaste engañar» («You innocent little dove that let yourself be fooled!»; not to be confused with another meaning of palomita, which means «popcorn» in some dialects).^{[citation needed]}

In Argentina, the prankster says, «¡Que la inocencia te valga!» which roughly translates as advice to not be as gullible as the victim of the prank. In Spain, it is common to say just «¡Inocente!» (which in Spanish can mean «innocent» or «gullible»).^[29]

In Colombia, the term is used as «Pásala por Inocentes«, which roughly means: «Let it go; today it’s Innocent’s Day.»^{[citation needed]}

In Belgium, this day is also known as the «Day of the Innocent Children» or «Day of the Stupid Children». It used to be a day where parents, grandparents, and teachers would fool the children in some way. But the celebration of this day has died out in favour of April Fools’ Day.^{[citation needed]}

Nevertheless, on the Spanish island of Menorca, Dia d’enganyar («Fooling day») is celebrated on 1 April because Menorca was a British possession during part of the 18th century. In Brazil, the «Dia da mentira» («Day of the lie») is also celebrated on 1 April^[29] due to the Portuguese influence.

First day of a new month[edit]

In many English-speaking countries, mainly Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, it is a custom to say «pinch and a punch for the first of the month» or an alternative, typically by children. The victim might respond with «a flick and a kick for being so quick», and the attacker might reply with «a punch in the eye for being so sly».^[30]

Another custom in Britain and North America is to say «rabbit rabbit» upon waking on the first day of a month, for good luck.^[31]

Reception[edit]

The practice of April Fool pranks and hoaxes is controversial.^[17][32] The mixed opinions of critics are epitomized in the reception to the 1957 BBC «spaghetti-tree hoax», in reference to which, newspapers were split over whether it was «a great joke or a terrible hoax on the public».^[33]

The positive view is that April Fools’ can be good for one’s health because it encourages «jokes, hoaxes … pranks, [and] belly laughs», and brings all the benefits of laughter including stress relief and reducing strain on the heart.^[34] There are many «best of» April Fools’ Day lists that are compiled in order to showcase the best examples of how the day is celebrated.^[35] Various April Fools’ campaigns have been praised for their innovation, creativity, writing, and general effort.^[36]

The negative view describes April Fools’ hoaxes as «creepy and manipulative», «rude» and «a little bit nasty», as well as based on Schadenfreude and deceit.^[32] When genuine news or a genuine important order or warning is issued on April Fools’ Day, there is risk that it will be misinterpreted as a joke and ignored – for example, when Google, known to play elaborate April Fools’ Day hoaxes, announced the launch of Gmail with 1-gigabyte inboxes in 2004, an era when competing webmail services offered 4-megabytes or less, many dismissed it as a joke outright.^[37][38] On the other hand, sometimes stories intended as jokes are taken seriously. Either way, there can be adverse effects, such as confusion,^[39] misinformation, waste of resources (especially when the hoax concerns people in danger) and even legal or commercial consequences.^[40][41]

In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, various organizations and people cancelled their April Fools’ Day celebrations, or advocated against observing April Fools’ Day, as a mark of respect due to the large amount of tragic deaths that COVID-19 had caused up to that point, the wish to provide truthful information to counter the misinformation about the virus, and to pre-empt any attempts to incorporate the virus into any potential pranks.^[42][43] For example, Google decided not to continue «its infamous April Fools’ jokes» tradition for that year.^[44] Because the pandemic was still ongoing a year later in 2021, they also decided not to do pranks that year.^[45]

In Thailand, the police warned ahead of April Fools’ in 2021 that posting or sharing fake news online could lead to maximum of five years imprisonment.^[46]

Other examples of genuine news on 1 April mistaken as a hoax include:

• 1 April 1946: Warnings about the Aleutian Island earthquake’s tsunami that killed 165 people in Hawaii and Alaska.^[47]
• 1 April 1984: News that the singer Marvin Gaye was shot and killed the day before his 45th birthday by his father Marvin Gay Sr. (sic) on 1 April 1984. Several people close to Gaye such as fellow singers Smokey Robinson and Jermaine Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson didn’t believe the news initially and had to phone call other people who knew Gaye to confirm the news, Al Sharpton during his interview for the VH1 documentary VH1’s Most Shocking Moments in Rock & Roll referenced the coincidence of the date when he said that Gaye’s death came «like a sick, sad joke to all of us.»^{[48][49][50][51][52]}
• 1 April 1995: News that the singer Selena was shot and killed by the former president of her fan club Yolanda Saldívar on 31 March 1995. When radio station KEDA broke the news on 31 March 1995, many people accused the staff of lying because the next day was April Fools’ Day.^[53]
• 1 April 2004: Gmail is announced to the public by Google. Some of the announced features for the service were not considered technologically possible with the technology available in 2004.^[54]
• 1 April 2005: News that the comedian Mitch Hedberg had died on 29 March 2005.^[55]
• 1 April 2005: Announcement about Powerpuff Girls Z, by Aniplex, Cartoon Network and Toei Animation. The TV show was an anime adaption of the cartoon The Powerpuff Girls and the idea that a cartoon would get turned into an anime was considered very outlandish in 2005 as this was the first time it happened.^[56]
• 1 April 2008: Announcement that the NationStates government simulation browser game had received a cease and desist letter from the United Nations (UN) for unauthorized usage of its name and emblem for the fictional intergovernmental organization where players (as nations) can create and vote on international law within the game world and that due to this, NationStates has now changed its version of the UN into the «World Assembly» (WA) with a different emblem. On 2 April 2008, NationStates developer Max Barry revealed that the letter from the UN was in fact real and he had actually received it on 21 January 2008 but chose only to start complying with it on 1 April to deliberately fool people into thinking the announcement was the annual NationStates April Fools prank and that because the legal action was real, the changes are permanent.^[57][58]
• 1 April 2009: Announcement that the long running soap opera Guiding Light was being cancelled. The date was so heavily associated with jokes and pranks that even some of the cast and crew didn’t believe the news when it was announced by CBS, the TV network that aired the show.^[59]
• 1 April 2011: Isaiah Thomas declared for the NBA draft. Thomas is short and basketball players in the NBA are usually taller than average as height gives advantage to playing basketball.^[60]

In popular culture[edit]

Books, films, telemovies and television episodes have used April Fools’ Day as their title or inspiration. Examples include Bryce Courtenay’s novel April Fool’s Day (1993), whose title refers to the day Courtenay’s son died. The 1990s sitcom Roseanne featured an episode titled «April Fools’ Day». This turned out to be intentionally misleading, as the episode was about Tax Day in the United States on 15 April – the last day to submit the previous year’s tax information. Although Tax Day is usually 15 April as depicted in the episode, it can be moved back a few days if that day is on a weekend or a holiday in Washington, D.C. or some states, or due to natural disasters when it can occur as late as 15 July.^[61]

Further reading[edit]

• Wainwright, Martin (2007). The Guardian Book of April Fool’s Day. Aurum. ISBN 978-1-84513-155-5.
• Dundes, Alan (1988). «April Fool and April Fish: Towards a Theory of Ritual Pranks». Etnofoor. 1 (1): 4–14. JSTOR 25757645.
• Similar events documented by other Wiki languages also exist such as Poisson d’avril (France) and in the USA the International day of the joke event which is assigned the first Sunday in May.^[62]

See also[edit]

• Feast of Fools, a similar medieval festival
• List of April Fools’ Day jokes
• List of practical joke topics

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• Patoski, Joe Nick (1996). Selena: Como La Flor. Boston: Little Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-69378-3.
• Ritz, David (1991). Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81191-X.

External links[edit]

• Wikipedia victim of onslaught of April Fool’s jokes at Wikinews
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). «April-Fools’ Day» . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• «Top 100 April Fools’ Day hoaxes of all time». Museum of Hoaxes.
• «April Fools’ Day On The Web: List of all known April Fools’ Day Jokes websites from 2004 until present».

Был в Средние века в Европе такой замечательный праздник — Праздник Дураков. Очень весёлый и шумный, любимый всеми, и даже суровая католическая церковь относилась к нему весьма снисходительно. Есть даже мнение, что нынешнее 1-е апреля происходит именно оттуда. Такой вот был яркий и бесшабашный праздник, когда строить из себя идиота было не стыдно, а наоборот, ценились наиболее глупые и грубые шутки, в том числе и ниже пояса, а в церквях и на церковных папертях творились и говорились вещи, которые в любой другой день могли счесть богохульством. Но на следующее утро всё возвращалось на круги своя и народ снова возвращался к ежедневной серой рутине. Но ведь праздник, он на то и праздник, чтобы была отдушина в этой серости. Ведь правда, — хочется иногда расслабиться, не парить мозги, а просто плыть по такому вот радостному течению, делать глупости и веселиться.

Но что здесь важно — на этом празднике люди ведь вовсе не были дураками и прекрасно осознавали всю несерьёзность происходящего. А стало быть, расслабившись один день в году, знали, что жизнь таким образом прожить невозможно — ежедневная борьба за выживание, за кусок хлеба, забота о детях, в конце концов, и идиотизм, кривляние, вихляние голым задом, — вещи абсолютно несовместимые. Кстати, говорят, тем не менее, что самые смешные вещи делаются с совершенно серьёзным, прямо таки каменным выражением лица. Поэтому и стал великим комиком Бестер Китон.

А если праздник, ну прямо как по Хемингуэю, который всегда с тобой? Круглый год, да ещё под руководством массовиков затейников. Праздник дураков, но только дураков мрачных, озлобленных, серьёзных до невозможности. Дураков, которыми руководят специально приставленные массовики-затейники, главная цель которых — поддерживать уровень дурости на постоянно высоком, даже высочайшем уровне. Иначе, до дураков может внезапно дойти в каком абсурдном мире они живут, и что за существа на деле, те, кто оплачивает каторжный труд этих самых массовиков. И всё же, те самые массовики, всего лишь делают свою работу, подлую и грязную, но тем не менее весьма щедро вознаграждаемую, ибо пожалуй, у нынешнего круглогодичного праздника есть одна сверхзадача — удержать «существа» у власти. Если представить себе, что в один горестный для существ день дураки поумнеют, то день этот, несомненно окажется последним для их власти, а может, и жизни. Но не надо волноваться — такое невозможно по определению. В принципе, я полагаю, нынешние массовики могут собой гордиться — их советские предшественники могли добиться со стороны дураков только равнодушного молчания, не идущего ни в какое сомнение с нынешним энтузиазмом и «яростью благородной». Вменяемое меньшинство в массе своей, как и лет 30 назад предпочитает молчать в тряпочку.

Я, кстати, вспоминаю, по этому поводу рассказ человека, побывавшего вместе с тогда ещё советской партийной делегацией в Северной Корее. Вот у кого ещё учиться и учиться. Машину с «дорогими советскими друзьями» радостно приветствовали одетые в праздничные робы чучхейские трудящиеся, в основном женщины. В обязанности ликующих входило радостно улыбаться, хлопать в ладоши и подпрыгивать. Когда же одна из ликовавших то ли перестала подпрыгивать, то ли забыла другое какое из трёх обязательных действий, к ней подбежал сурового вида молодой человек и указал на её халатность самым наглядным способом — залепил кулаком в зубы. Действие, указание руководящего товарища, было мгновенным — утерев кровь нерадивая женщина начала скакать, хлопать в ладоши и улыбаться с удвоенной энергией. Но это так, на крайний случай, если вдруг искреннее возмущение и ненависть к врагам, скорбь по безвременно павшим снегирям и утратившим девственность старухам перестанет быть столь искренней. На тот случай, если круглогодичный праздник дураков вдруг закончиться. Ведь, рассуждая логически, так и должно было бы произойти. Ведь, как известно, праздник, если он ежедневный, тоже становится буднями, а особенно такой, какой ныне происходит в одной, отдельной, всем слишком уж известной и взятой, сами знаете за какое место стране. А кроме того, в отличие от своего средневекового предшественника, слишком уж он мрачен, а дураки там вовсе не прикидываются, а самые что ни на есть настоящие. А главное — нет того безудержного веселья, а есть тупая злоба и ярость, правда, не менее безудержные. Это становится не праздником даже, а прямо, какой-то чёрной мессой.

Именно этим, особенно, если учитывая, что в обязательное действо там входят пляски не только на хрупких косточках распятых мальчиков, снегирей и пенсионерок, но и немыслимые в своём фарисействе и лицемерии глумливые скачки на костях вполне реальных людей. Да, опять всё тот же Боинг — то, за что им никогда не знать прощения, который будет лежать проклятием на них ровно столько, сколько они будут оставаться такими вот дураками, а может быть и много дольше этого. Но им то, пожалуй, что — проклятием больше, проклятием меньше. Им — ничего, да и плевать бы на них, но топчась на костях погибших пассажиров, они топчут души их родственников, словно мало тем несчастным самого факта потери близких.

Здесь, кажется, праздник дураков доходит до своей кульминации, до верхнего предела не только запредельной глупости, но не менее запредельной подлости. Чёрт с вами, не хотите признаваться, так хоть молчите в тряпочку, потому что ваше поведение уже просто за гранью. Даже, покопавшись в истории, включая российскую и советскую, сомневаюсь, что можно найти нечто подобное. Не по количеству пролитой крови, конечно, что такое 283 человека по сравнению с ГУЛАГОМ, но такой омерзительной реакции не было никогда. Разве что Катынь, да и то…

Просто, поборов отвращение, ещё раз посмотрите на всю эту историю. На грабёж и мародёрство колорадов на месте крушения, на наспех удалённые победные реляции по поводу сбитой украинской «птички» и на кошмарные селфи местных йеху с «трофеями» с Боинга. Самолёт сбили украинцы! Почему, — потому что они плохие, а значит они сделали это. Просто так, по причине природной злости. А потом миллион версий, одна глупее и подлее другой, и как апофеоз — возмущение и протест по поводу неудержимо надвигающегося трибунала. Хотя, казалось бы, если бы там не причём, так и бояться нечего. Наоборот — истина воссияет и вы все в белом.

Но вернёмся к дуракам. Я, конечно, понимаю, что кремлёвские урки заметались и растерялись, а потому делают всё больше глупостей, погружаясь всё дальше в трясину, а руководимый ими Праздник дураков принимает совершенно уж сюрреалистические формы. Я не знаю, митинг, организованный, уж в этом я уверен, по команде Москвы на месте падения самолёта, проходил по северокорейскому сценарию, или же дураки собрались «по зову сердца». Имея в виду, что это территория «ДНР», «страны» ещё больших чудес, чем шефствующая над ней Россиюшка, допускаю оба варианта. В любом случае, просто представьте себе Чикатило, пришедшего с букетом цветов на похороны своей жертвы. И если маразм сам по себе может вызвать даже сочувствие, то омерзительная клоунада в селе Грабово Донецкой области, неподалеку от места крушения уже не смешна. Повторяю, — это за гранью. Никогда не существовавшие мальчик с пенсионеркой, снегири и фосфорные бомбы вызывают смех, но этот вот митинг, эта «скорбь» по вполне реальным людям, это нечто даже не из фильмов ужасов. Я думаю, определения этому ещё не придумали. Все эти флаги ДНР и стран, чьи граждане стали жертвами авиакатастрофы. А ещё лозунги:

«Киев, прекрати стрелять» и «Вас убили и нас продолжают убивать». В последнем, впрочем, есть доля истины. Их и правда, продолжают убивать. И имя убийц — легион. От мерзкого кремлёвского карлика, до стада баранов, собравшегося на этот митинг во главе с Захарченко. И я понимаю, что чувство, которое я испытываю, не очень достойно, но я бы очень хотел, чтобы на это стадо, там, где они собирались, прямо на них, упал самолёт. А в самолёте летела очередная партия тех, кого в Украине нет. Но знаете, мне ни капельки не стыдно. Праздник дураков пора кончать.

Праздник дураков