April Fools' Day 2023 Date: Know the Origin, History and Significance of the Day When You Can Play Harmless Pranks and Jokes

April Fools' Day, also known as All Fools' Day, is celebrated annually on April 1. The day marks the annual custom consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes on the first day of April. On this day, people often play pranks and expose their actions by shouting ‘April Fools!’ at the recipient, who apparently becomes the ‘fool’. People engage in playing harmless pranks, hoaxes and practical jokes to fool each other and have a fun-filled time. As April Fools' Day 2023 nears, here’s all you need to know about the history and significance of the day. April 2023 Holidays Calendar With Major Festivals & Events: Get Full List of Important Dates in the Fourth Month.

April Fools' Day History

The origins of April Fools’ are unknown. However, there are many theories surrounding the origins of the day. As per historical records, a disputed association between April 1 and foolishness is in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (1392). Meanwhile, in the ‘Nun's Priest's Tale’, a vain cock Chauntecleer is tricked by a fox on ‘Since March began thirty days and two,’ i.e. 32 days since March began, which is April 1.

However, in 1508, French poet Eloy d'Amerval referred to a poisson d'avril, which stands for April fool, possibly the first reference to the celebration in France. In the Netherlands, the origin of April Fools' Day is often attributed to the Dutch victory in 1572 in the Capture of Brielle, where the Spanish Duke Álvarez de Toledo was defeated.

April Fools' Day Significance

April Fools' Day brings a lot of excitement and fun as people play pranks on one another on April 1. The day can be good for one's health because it encourages jokes, hoaxes, pranks, and belly laughs, and brings all the benefits of laughter, including stress relief and reducing strain on the heart. As per legends, Joseph Boskin, who was the Professor of history at Boston University, provided another explanation of April Fool’s Day.

In his explanation, he said that during the rule of Roman emperor Constantine the Great, a group of fools and court jesters told him they could run the empire better than he could. Soon after, Constantine handed over the throne to one of the jesters named Kugel for a day. As per records, Kugel of nonsensicality passed a decree on that day, which later became an annual custom.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 31, 2023 08:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).