April
Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1
every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national
holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play
all kinds of jokes and foolishness. The day is marked by the commission of
good-humoured or otherwise funny jokes, hoaxes, and other practical jokes of
varying sophistication on friends, family members, teachers, neighbours, work
associates, etc.
Traditionally,
in some countries such as Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Australia, Cyprus, and
South Africa, the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick
after noon is called an "April Fool" and taunted "April Fool's
Day's past and gone, You're the fool for making one." Elsewhere, such as
in France, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Germany, Brazil,
Ireland, and the U.S., the jokes last all day. In France and Italy children
(and adults, when appropriate) traditionally tack paper fish on each other's
back as a trick and shout "april fish!" in their local language
("poisson d'avril!" and "pesce d'aprile!" in French and
Italian respectively).
In England
jokes are called 'gobs' or 'gobby' and
the victim of a joke is called a 'noodle.' It was considered back luck to play
a practical joke on someone after noon.
In Rome,
the holiday is known as Festival of Hilaria, celebrating the resurrection of
the god Attis, is on March 25 and is also referred to as "Roman Laughing
Day."
In
Portugal, April Fool's Day falls on the Sunday and Monday before lent. In this
celebration, many people throw flour at their friends.
The Huli
Festival is celebrated on March 31 in India. People play jokes on one another
and smear colours on one another celebrating the arrival of Spring.
So, no
matter where you happen to be in the world on April 1, don't be surprised if
April fools fall playfully upon you.
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