In sixteenth-century France, the start of the new year was observed on April first. It was celebrated in much the same way as it is today with parties and dancing into the late hours of the night.
Then in 1562, Pope Gregory introduced a new calendar for the Christian world, and the new year fell on January first. In 1564, Charles IX, the French king, adopted it.
In France There were some people, however, who hadn't heard or didn't believe the change in the date, so they continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April first. Others played tricks on them and called them "April fools." They sent them on a "fool's errand" or tried to make them believe that something false was true.
Britain didn't accept the new calendar until 1752 . April fooling became popular in England and Scotland during the 1700s
April Fool jokes usually involve persuading someone to do something silly, like looking for hen's teeth, striped paint, a long weight, or some other non-existent thing.
However, you can only play April Fools on people before midday –at midday the fun must stop or the trickster is told:
'April Fool's Day is past and gone,
Your 're the fool and I am none.'
One of the greatest April Fool jokes took place on April 1st, 1957. The BBC TV programme Panorama did a documentary on 'spaghetti farmers' growing 'spaghetti trees.' It broadcast about a family from Ticino in Switzerland carrying out their annual spaghetti harvest. It showed women carefully plucking strands of spaghetti from a tree and laying them in the sun to dry.
"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. "- American humorist Mark Twain
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