Why 1st april fools day

He explained that the practice began during the reign of Constantine , when a group of court jesters and fools told the Roman emperor that they could do a better job of running the empire. Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be king for one day. Kugel passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the custom became an annual event. Boskin, "it was a very serious day. In those times fools were really wise men.

It was the role of jesters to put things in perspective with humor. This explanation was brought to the public's attention in an Associated Press article printed by many newspapers in There was only one catch: Boskin made the whole thing up. It took a couple of weeks for the AP to realize that they'd been victims of an April Fools' joke themselves. It is worth noting that many different cultures have had days of foolishness around the start of April, give or take a couple of weeks.

The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25, rejoicing in the resurrection of Attis. The Hindu calendar has Holi, and the Jewish calendar has Purim. Perhaps there's something about the time of year, with its turn from winter to spring, that lends itself to lighthearted celebrations.

The BBC was later flooded with requests to purchase a spaghetti plant, forcing them to declare the film a hoax on the news the next day. If you have a question for our resident Brit, drop us an email at askabrit greatbritishmag. How is Easter celebrated in the UK?

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