April Fools Day history, explained: How did it start and everything to know | The curious and fishy history can be traced back to the 16th century

April Fool’s Day is coming up on Tuesday so consider this your official PSA to be wary of any pranks or strange social media stunts.

The first day of April has had us acting foolish (for the pranksters among us) or scratching our heads (for the prankees among us) every year for centuries, but how did the day of tomfoolery come about? 

Well, it turns out the joke is on us because nobody seems to truly know how it all came about but historians have some inklings.

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Some believe it is linked to the ancient Roman festival of Hilaria where at the end of March people would commemorate the resurrection of the god Attis. To celebrate people would dress up in disguise, imitate others and play pranks.

Others believe it dates back to the medieval celebration of the Feast of the Fools where a mock bishop or pope was elected, church rituals were parodied and low and high officials switched places for the day.

The strongest theory, however, dates back to 16th century France when the country switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1582 following the decree of Pop Gregory XIII.

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In the old calendar, the new year began at the end of March but the new calendar, which Western societies still follow today, made January 1 the start of the year.

But, of course, news didn’t travel fast in the 1500s and some people were slow to clue into the calendar change.

Those left out of the loop continued to celebrate the new year on April 1 and were widely mocked, earning the nickname “April fools”.

These April fools became the butt of jokes and were often given fake gifts including fish. Pranskers would stick paper fish to the backs of prank victims and they were called “Poisson d’Avril”, or “April Fish” which remains the French term for April Fools.

The theory behind the name April Fish comes from the fact that fish were plentiful at that time of year and thus easy to catch – essentially, April Fish were more gullible than most. 

The tradition stuck and even today in France and other parts of Europe, pranksters will stick paper fish to the backs of unsuspecting people, alongside other jokes and pranks.

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While the day is known as April Fish in French, English speaking countries know the day to be April Fools’ day. The fish prank still remains a French tradition but other jokes and pranks are common on this day around the world. 

Not all historians are convinced that this is the true origin of the day as there are minor references to April Fools that date back to before the calendar change.

The earliest potential reference of the day has been noted in a 1561 Flemish poem by Eduard De Dene. In the poem, a man of nobility sends his servant on silly, pointless errands. The servant soon realises he is being sent on “fool’s errands” because it is April 1. 

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While the origin of the day is shrouded in mystery, the day has solidified in modern society with people around the world engaging in jokes, pranks and general tomfoolery throughout the day.

Brands and broadcasters have also been known to engage in April Fools pranks over the years. Some of the most famous ones include a BBC segment that aired in 1957 which showcased Swiss farmers harvesting spaghetti from trees.

In 2000, Google jumped on the trend with a memorable prank announcing a new internet service which would utilise carrier pigeons to deliver data.

These days plenty of brands jump on the April Fools bandwagon and, of course, there’s the old faithful pranks like whoopie cushions and brussels sprouts disguised as chocolates.

April Fool’s Day jokes work best on those who haven’t been paying attention to the calendar, so here’s your reminder to keep your wits about you on the first of April.

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