Fool Me Once....

This is the day made for Brad Paisley, who is well known for pranking his fellow entertainers who go out on the road with him. April 1, or April Fools Day, has a long history but no one seems to know the exact time that it was established. There are various stories that go with it. For instance, some folks believe it is celebrated in honor of the trickery Mother Nature plays on mankind during this time of the year with the weird weather patterns. You know, hot today, need a coat tomorrow!

The earliest known reference to April Fool’s Day is in Chaucer’s 1392 Nun’s Priest’s Tale, but it is rather vague and maybe not even on the first of April. Others say it has to do with the reformation of the calendar by Pope Gregory and the Gregorian calendar. The New Year would take place in April, not January as we celebrate it now. It is thought that those who continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1 were called April Fish, and pranks would be played on them.

In 1776 Britain, there is solid reference to April foolishness in an article in “Gentlemans Magazine.” There is reference to a custom of making fools of people on the first day of April, which apparently was the culmination of an eight-day feast and the beginning of a new year.

Whatever the origin, it’s a day to watch carefully everything that is said or done around you, as you may have to decide in a split second whether or not it is foolery or truth.

Do you have a great April Fools prank that you played on someone, or got pulled on you? Drop me a line: john@kicks1063.com