April Fools’ Day, also known as April Fool’s Day or All Fools’ Day, is celebrated each year on the first day of April. It has been popular since the 19th century and is well known in Europe, Australia, Canada, Brazil and the United States – although it is not a national holiday in any country. It is celebrated as the day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other. Below are some interesting facts about April
Fools’ Day.
- No one knows exactly where, when or why April Fool’s Day began.
- April Fool’s Day was first known as “All Fool’s Day.”
- Pranksters would secretly stick paper fish to their backs. The victims of this prank were called Poisson d’Avril, or April Fish—which, to this day, remains the French term for April Fools.
- The earliest recorded association between April 1, pranks and foolishness can be found in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales which was written in 1392.
- In the United States, the pranks last all day, but in other countries they only take place until noon.
- April Fool’s Day is not an official holiday.
