April Fools’ Day: You could either be a prankster or spend all day on high alert, so you don't fall victim. We all know what this day is about, but little is really known about how it all got started.
•There are different theories on the origin of April Fools' Day, with some going back to the Middle Ages. The one thing they all have in common ... an aim to make a fool of somebody.
•Ancient Romans held a spring celebration called Hilaria to celebrate Cybele, the goddess of nature and fertility. As part of the celebration, people would wear disguises and trick others.
•It may be based on a French pastime from Medieval times called "poisson d’avril” or “April Fish.” People would stick paper fish to the backs of their friends and then shout "poisson d’avril!” when the fish was discovered.
•A poem called Proverb of a Day of Errands by Eduard De Dene, published in 1561, is about a servant who is sent on a series of "fool's errands" on April 1st.
•The History Channel traces it back to 1582 when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, thus changing the start of the year from April 1st to January 1st. However, some people continued to celebrate New Year's on April 1st, and those people were called "April Fools."
So how do people really feel about April Fools’ Day pranks? Seems there’s an equal divide between people who find them annoying and people who find them amusing.
According to a YouGov poll, 45% of respondents found them amusing and 47% said they were annoying. Those under the age of 30 were more likely to find pranks funny — 50% liked them vs. 40% who found them annoying. And men under 30 were the most likely to appreciate April Fools' Day jokes — with 60% saying they were amusing vs. 35% who found them irritating.