| The Traditions Of All Fool's Day |
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2007/04/01 10:43 |
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Subject: The Traditions Of All Fool's Day
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The Traditions Of All Fool's Day
All Fool's Day, also known as April Fool's Day, is celebrated
annually on the first day of April. It is a time for the traditional
playing of pranks upon unsuspecting people...the victim of such a
prank being called an April Fool.
The origins of this custom are somewhat uncertain, but may
have initially been related to the arrival of Spring in late March, at
which time Mother Nature is said to "fool" the human race with sudden
and fickle changes in the weather...showers one minute and sunshine
the next. The playing of practical jokes, however, dates back to
Ancient Rome and such activities were an integral part of the Hilaria
celebrations held on March 25, a celebration which would again appear
to be associated with the coming of Spring and the Vernal Equinox,
held to honor the resurrection of Attis, Roman God of Vegetation who
was linked to the seasonal cycle. In England, an ancient legend states
that April Fool's Day commemorates the fruitless mission of the Rook
(or European Crow) which was sent out in search of land from Noah's
flood-encircled ark.
It is generally accepted that the All Fool's Day tradition
began in France during the Sixteenth Century, when the beginning of
the New Year was observed on April 1 and was celebrated in much the
same way as New Year is today with parties and dancing late into the
night. At that time, the festivities ran for a week, beginning on
March 25, and included the exchanging of gifts. In 1582, however,
during the reign of King Charles IX, Pope Gregory introduced a revised
calendar for the Christian world wherein the New Year fell on January
1. Since it took some time, possibly even years, for many people to
even hear word of the change (communications being what they were in
the Sixteenth Century) and since others obstinately refused to accept
such reform or simply forgot, New Year's Day continued to be
celebrated on the first day of April in many areas. Individuals who
had accepted the dates of the new calendar played tricks on those who
had not and referred to the unfortunate victims of such pranks as
"April Fools," sending them on a "fool's errand" (an invitation to a
non-existent party, for example) or attempting to make them believe
that something which was true was actually false. Over time, this
practice evolved into an annual tradition of April 1 prank-playing,
eventually migrating to England and Scotland during the Eighteenth
Century and thus, introduced to the American colonies by British and
French settlers.
Some historians maintain that the development of All Fool's
Day is linked to the medieval Feast of Asses or Feast of Fools, and
the latter certainly was a most popular French festival. It does,
however, seem unlikely that such a feast day was associated in any
manner with the New Year in this instance, since such celebrations
occurred at the time of the Feast of the Circumcision on January 1
which, during medieval times, was not the date of the New Year (under
the Julian calendar, the New Year was celebrated in March). With the
passage of time, it is far from easy to now distinguish between the
Feast of Fools and the Feast of Asses, which may also have been
celebrated in January. Many church dignitaries were honored on
specific feast days during the Christmas season...the deacons on
December 26 (Saint Stephen's Day), the priests on December 27 (Saint
John's Day), the choristers and mass-servers on December 28 (Day of
the Holy Innocents) and the sub-deacons on January 1 (Feast of the
Circumcision). Later, the feast of the sub-deacons was replaced by the
Guild of Fools, the customs and buffoonery of which then became
associated with the sub-deacons' festivities and most likely had their
origins in earlier Pagan customs, such as the Roman Saturnalia
(celebrated in December), when slaves were granted temporary equality
with their masters. During the Feast of Asses, the preacher
impersonated the Hebrew prophets while arguing the Divinity of Christ.
This sermon evolved into a drama, including actors and a procession
which incorporated the riding of an ass (most probably symbolized by a
hobby horse) into the church. This lavish spectacle was greatly
appreciated and enjoyed by the parishioners...so much so, that it
eventually developed separately until the festival became known as the
Feast of Asses and, in its turn, gradually became absorbed into the
Feast of Fools. The Feast of Fools was later outlawed by the Church in
some areas due to the licentious behavior of the congregation during
this time.
There is even speculation that All Fool's Day originated in
the Hindu festival of Huli or Holi, celebrated in March to commemorate
the defeat of evil. Originally lasting for five days, the modern
version of this festival covers two days only. On the first day, a
bonfire is lit and, on the second, people throw colored powder and
water over each other. Holi celebrations are associated with the Hindu
Demoness, Holika.
In many cultures, tradition dictates that the pranking period
must expire at noon on April 1 and any jokes attempted after that hour
will bring back luck to the perpetrator. In addition, any who fail to
respond with a good humor to tricks played upon them are said to
attract bad luck unto themselves. Such victims are, however, entitled
to "turn the tables" after the hour of noon with the retort: "April
Fool's gone past...and you're the biggest fool at last!" It should be
noted that not all April Fool superstitions are negative. Males who
are fooled by a pretty female, for example, are said to be fated to
marry the girl...or at least enjoy a healthy friendship with her.
The style of April Fool's pranks has changed over the years.
Sending unsuspecting parties on pointless errands was a particularly
prized practical joke in the early history of the celebrations. Today,
however, it is often a time of initiation rites into a club or group,
especially by the adult population, and it is the children who appear
to truly celebrate the day complete with its original sense of
abandon. Otherwise, modern pranks tend to center more around bogus
telephone calls and media-driven foolery. In sum, All Fool's Day is a
"for fun only" observance...a time when nobody is expected to buy
gifts, receive cards or spend money and there are no vacations from
work or school. The primary force behind April Fool's Day jokes and
pranks are that they should not be harmful but able to be enjoyed by
everyone...especially the person upon whom the joke is played.
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