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Whether it was the festival of Ceralia or Pope Gregory introducing a new calendar, people have always embraced an opportunity to play a good gag on others.Every year April 1st rolls around and people go on high guard. Is there salt in the sugar bowl? Is there pepper in your candy? Is there a sign pinned to your back? Are the clocks set to the right time? Is there food on your face or is your boss on the line to tell you about a promotion? April Fool's Day has gone from a way to mock traditionalists to a cultural institution of pranks and gags in the United States. There are many theories as to the origin of "April Fool's Day" or "All Fool's Day." Some believe April Fool's Day goes back as far as the Roman Empire and may stem from the festival of Ceralia. In Roman legend, Pluto carried Proserpina off from the Elysian meadows, leaving her mother Ceres on a fools errand, chasing only the echo of her daughter's pleas for help. Still others believe that it was originated in 1562 when Pope Gregory introduced a new calendar with January 1st as the first day of the year (the same calendar we use today). Up until that moment, April 1st was believed to be the first day of the new year as it was supposed to be the day God created humans as well as the day Christ was born. However, in 16th century France, many people found the transition difficult and continued to celebrate the first day of the year as April 1st. Whether they did this out of ignorance, stubborness or forgetfullness, others played tricks on them and called them "April Fools." 438 years later, France still celebrates April 1st and calls it "Poisson d'Avril." French children fool their friends by taping a paper fish to their friends' backs. When the "young fool" discovers this trick, the prankster yells "Poisson d'Avril!" (April Fish!). Although the exact origin of the day is unknown, its celebration became common practice in England in the eighteenth century and the custom was brought to America by early English settlers. Needless to say, gags seem to be a serious part of our culture. It is interesting to consider then, what it is that motivates us to pull pranks. Is it the opportunity to laugh at another person that we have tricked? Is it the hope of making others laugh? Is it the need to laugh? Is it celebration? The answer to these questions probably varies from person to person and trick to trick. For example, pranksters at M.I.T. are known for their emphasis on safety and respect for property. Yet, pranksters at M.I.T. perform pranks known as "hacks" (not to be confused with computer or phone hacking). One such M.I.T. hack occured on April Fool's Day in 1998 when pranksters took over the University's web site and made everyone believe the university had been bought by Walt Disney. For a snapshot of the hacked version of the web page click h ere. Other tricks are a little more controversial. For years, the University of Michigan -Ann Arbor, a renowned, well reputed university known for its serious scholars, has had the tradition of "The Naked Mile", a mile long streak that thousands of students and community members take part in. Some pranks are more famous than others and can make a whole nation laugh. In 1997 people all over the United States opened their morning newspapers to the comic section and were greeted by "The Great April Fool's Day Comics Switcheroonie." Then again, some April Fool gags become famous because they backfire. For example, a newspaper in southwestern France was deluged with angry phone calls after it announced that the city of Montauban had agreed to build a shelter for British cattle suffering from mad cow disease. Yet another example came from New Zealand. In this case, police and commuters were angered when a group of killer whales stranded near Wellington's inter-island ferry terminal brought traffic to a near halt. They turned out to be rubber dorsal fins attached to wooden blocks. The common denominator in all of this April Foolery is fun. People all over the world love to laugh and enjoy it when others laugh with them. It seems humor can in fact transcend political boundaries and languages. With tricks that backfire or don't work out as the prankster planned there is often a sense of laughing at the expense of the individual. French citizens who were fearful of the deadly mad cow disease probably didn't find the idea of housing dangerously sick cows in their backyard funny. Nonetheless, foolery can be fun. In this age of fast paced lives and busy schedules, laughing can be a welcome break from the daily grind. April Fool's Day embraces our need to laugh and enjoy life and gives this desire an outlet. This April Fool's Day, enjoy and watch out. The 21st century has given birth to new opportunities for April Fool's Day, such as web-based greeting cards to celebrate the day. However you choose to celebrate April Fool's Day (or not) be glad you aren't in Portugal, where the common practice is to throw flour on your friends! Interesting Links About April Fool's Day: Downloadable practical jokes that wreak harmless havoc on unsuspecting fool's computers
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