April Fool’s Day has inspired many clever pranks and jokes over the centuries. Discover the folks who were the very first to receive some good ol’ fashioned ribbing:

French traditionalists who continued to celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1st–despite the adoption of a new calendar–have the dubious honor of being the earliest “fools.” Through simple refusal or ignorance, they did not heed the Gregorian Calendar which moved the first day of the year to January 1st, still abiding by the old Julian Calendar. As a result, they were teased, sent on “fool’s errands” or duped into believing falsehoods.

France adopted the Gregorian Calendar in 1564. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII made it official. But many countries did not accept the change until much later. In some European countries, it took centuries for the calendar switch to take into effect. For instance, Scotland held out until 1660, while Germany, Denmark and Norway finally embraced the new calendar in 1700.

Celebrating New Year’s Day on April 1st had its roots in ancient cultures, as old civilizations, ranging from the Romans and the Hindus, commemorated it close to the vernal equinox (March 20th or 21st). In medieval times, a significant portion of Europe rang in the New Year on March 25th, the Feast of Annunciation.

The shift to the new calendar gave new meaning to April 1st. The French started to call the day Poisson d’Avril or “April Fish.” Some French children would attach a picture of a fish on the backs of schoolmates, exclaiming “Poisson d’Avril!” when the prank was revealed.

In 1752, Great Britain finally switched to the Gregorian Calendar, and April Fool’s Day started to gain distinction as a day for pranks and jokes in England and the American colonies.

Source:

April Fool’s Day Has Serious Origins
David Johnson
Infoplease
www.infoplease.com/spot/aprilfools1.html