April Fool celebrated across the world on 1st April is a day dedicated to pranksters who try and lighten the atmosphere with practical jokes and tricks. With so much tension and frustration creeping in our society, the April Fool’s Day is like a breath of fresh air for all. Although there is nothing official about this day and neither it is a public holiday, the day is keenly awaited across the world. It is also imperative that people stick to harmless pranks and do not hurt each other’s sentiments. So what are the theories behind the inception of this joke centric day, let us have a look. Cancel April Fool's Day 2020! This April 1, Let's Spread Smiles Instead of 'Purported' Fake News as Funny Pranks.

  • Geoffrey Chaucer’ The Canterbury Tales has a reference to 32nd March to 1st April. This playful reference came to be known as the start of the April Fool’ celebration though it may have been a copying error.

  • In 1564 Edict of Roussillon stated that New Year’s day celebrated on 1st January has been moved to Easter which usually falls in April. The people celebrating this false New Year were dubbed as April fools.

  • At the beginning of April, the Romans celebrated the festival of Hilaria wearing wigs and masks and played pranks on each other. This is also one of the widely believed April Fool’s establishment story.

  • John Aubrey in 1686 came up with a term for these celebrations – Fooles Holy Day. It is believed on 1st April 1698 the Londoners were tricked into seeing the Lions washed at Tower of London.

  • In Scotland, the April Fool’s day is called the Gowk Day. Gowk is another name for Cuckoo, which is a symbol for fools. In Brazil, it is referred to as Dia da Mentira which means ‘Lie Day’ where Brazilians fool each other. April Fools’ Day Fun Facts: From the Rome Connection to the Museum of Hoaxes, 5 Interesting Stories to Know About All Fools’ Day.

Every culture has a different story to tell about April Fools' Day, but the bottom line remains the same – it is a fun and great way to have a good laugh with friends and relatives.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 01, 2020 01:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).