Fun Fact #499

 Fun Fact #499

A Fool’s Errand

Every year, as the days of March grow short, I march fourth and try to find the History of April Fools Day. In short this is a fool’s errand because the Famous holiday seems not to have started in any one place but rather been the slow merger of “Fool’s Day Celebrations” from around the world. 

The reasons for this merger however is due to various similarities between the holidays. For instance in the spring fish will spawn (release eggs for fertilization) and so become much hungrier than normal resulting in them being easier to catch than normal. Thus in many places with access to waterways the idea of fooling people and calling them “Fool Fish'' arose in the spring.  Whereas in plains and forests it became somewhat of a day of jubilation when berries, and trees began to bloom –a sign that winter’s hunger had come to an end. Meanwhile in the east, it was believed that playing a joke on the first day of the month would bring good luck.

However, all good things must come to an end and it was no joking matter when Fools Day celebrations came to blows against the Behemoth of international Trade. Sure your town may have their joke day once a year but springtime became a pain if you were trying to do legitimate business. Some countries (like France), and even whole regions (The Prussian Confederation) moved to celebrate a singular Fool’s day as a result.  Yet it was The Canterbury Tales (1392) which ensured April 1st’s Reign when a cook is fooled by a Fox into letting it go as it's not yet the proper hunting season being March 32nd. Today very few places still  Fool’s day outside of April 1st (parts of the Mediterranean still celebrate it on May 1st, while it has been banned in Thailand since 2021 to prevent the spread of Misinformation about Covid).

I hope you have enjoyed and please have a fantastic day!

A Tale from the Decameron by John William Waterhouse