Fun Facts About April Fools’ Day
- Its origins are uncertain.
- However, Chaucer referred to April 1st foolishness in The Canterbury Tales written in – – – – -1392! – – – – – so it’s been around for a very long time.
- In England, an April fool (the person tricked) is called different names, depending on the geographic location, and might be called a noodle, a gob or a noddy.
- In France, an April fool is an avril poisson, or an April fish, and early 20th century April Fools’ Day postcards often featured young ladies holding an armful of fish.
- One of the most famous wide-scale pranks happened in 1957 when the BBC in England filmed a documentary of the Swiss spaghetti harvest. It was so successful that viewers wanted to know where to purchase spaghetti trees!
- Although April Fools’ Day jokes pranks happen in many countries around the world, April 1 isn’t a legal holiday anywhere.
Did you fall for any April Fools’ Day jokes today?
I am French! In elementary and middle school, we would cut out fish shapes and staple them to a string that we would then attached on the clothing in the back of unsuspecting students. It was fun to see all those fish fluttering about as students were milling around.
That sounds like a fun way to celebrate a silly holiday. A prank that doesn’t hurt anyone. 🙂