April Fools’ Day: Just Joking

Hasta las tradiciones más banales y lúdicas esconden un origen histórico fascinante. ¿Cuándo, cómo y por qué se estableció en diversas culturas el 1 de abril como el Día de las Bromas?

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Glossary

+ fools: tontos + pranks: bromas + joyful: alegre + mockery: burla + to link: vincular + trait: característica + to restore: reestablecer + glimpse: vistazo + vain: vanidoso + cock: gallo + to trick: engañar + fox: zorro + Flemish: flamenco + meaningless: absurda, sin sentido + to spread: difundirse + to be backdated: antedatar + to pin: enganchar, clavar + to shout: gritar + to catch: atrapar, pescar + gullible: inocente, crédulo + tail: cola + further: más lejos + flood: inundación + misinformed: desinformada + swiftly: rápidamente + reach: alcance + media outlets: medios de comunicación
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Este artículo pertenece al número de Abril 2025 de la revista Speak Up.

April Fools’ + fools: tontos Day, which occurs on 1 April in many countries around the world, is a day for jokes and pranks + pranks: bromas , but nobody knows for sure how it started. However, there are several theories of its origins. One theory connects the day to the joyful + joyful: alegre ancient Roman festival Hilaria, celebrated on 25 March in honour of Cybele, the Mother of Gods, with games, masquerades, and mockery + mockery: burla  to welcome the arrival of spring. Other festivals, such as the two-day Hindu Holi, the Persian Sizdah Bedar, and the Jewish Purim, also focus on joy and fun during spring. However, there is no solid evidence linking + to link: vincular April Fools’ Day to these so-called ‘renewal festivals’. A common trait + trait: característica of these festivals is that during these events, the social order is suspended: servants or children temporarily challenge the authority of masters, parents and teachers. Afterwards, order is reaffirmed and the stability of society is restored + to restore: reestablecer

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medieval or renaissance

Hypotheses about April Fools’ Day also include links to medieval literature, as some see a glimpse + glimpse: vistazo of April Fools’ Day in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (1392): in one of the stories, a vain + vain: vanidoso  cock + cock: gallo is tricked + to trick: engañar by a fox + fox: zorro , and the event seemingly occurs on 1 April.

A very popular theory connects April Fools’ Day to the 16th century, when the Christian world adopted the Gregorian calendar. Before this change, the new year was celebrated around 1 April. When the calendar shifted to make 1 January  the start of the year, people who continued to observe it in April were mocked as April fools. 

The first definite mention of April Fools’ Day comes from a 1561 Flemish + Flemish: flamenco poem that describes a nobleman tricking his servant on 1 April, sending him on meaningless + meaningless: absurda, sin sentido tasks. By the 17th century, the tradition was so widely spread + to spread: difundirse that on 1 April serious events were sometimes dated differently to prevent any possible confusion. It seems that the Treaty of Warsaw (1683) had to be backdated + to be backdated: antedatar to 31 March!

DIFFERENT TRADITIONS

Different countries developed unique traditions for April Fools’ Day. For instance, in Italy and France people pin + to pin: enganchar, clavar paper fish on others’ backs while shouting + to shout: gritar Pesce d’aprile!”, or “Poisson d’avril!”. The expression is probably linked to fish being plentiful and hungry in the spring, making them easy to catch + to catch: atrapar, pescar : the April fish is more gullible + gullible: inocente, crédulo than at other times of the year. In Scotland, the day was known as Taily Day, with reference to a pig’s tail + tail: cola , and a “Kick me” sign placed on someone’s back became a common prank. In Ireland, people played practical jokes by sending someone to deliver a note that read “Send the fool further + further: más lejos .”

WHAT’S SO FUNNY?

Not everyone loves April Fools’ Day, though. Pranks can feel annoying or even mean, especially if they embarrass someone or go too far. Besides, in the age of the internet, April Fools’ jokes sometimes add to the flood + flood: inundación of fake news, leaving people disorientated or misinformed + misinformed: desinformada . April Fools' Day has, in fact, swiftly + swiftly: rápidamente evolved in recent times, with the rise of social media and mass communication amplifying its reach + reach: alcance . What was once a tradition of personal pranks has now expanded to large-scale jokes, often shared by media outlets + media outlets: medios de comunicación and online platforms, making it a global event where pranks can go viral.

 

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