The Origins of April Fools' Day: A Nice Little Theory

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The discussion centers around the origins of April Fools' Day, with participants sharing various theories. One theory humorously suggests that the day commemorates the laughter surrounding Mary’s announcement of her pregnancy, linking April 1st to December 25th, the birth of Jesus. Another perspective references "The Simpsons," which attributes the day to the calendar shift from April 1st to January 1st for New Year's Day, highlighting the divide between converted Christians and Pagans. Additionally, the French tradition of "Poisson d'Avril," where children play pranks by taping fish images on classmates, is mentioned, adding cultural context to the celebration. Overall, the conversation explores playful interpretations and historical anecdotes related to the day.
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So what are the origins of this day? Today I heard a nice little theory, obviously it's not true but I thought it was nice. :wink:

The day is April 1st, right? Jump 8 months and about 3 weeks forward and you arrive at December 25th, the birthday of Jesus. So on April 1st, when Mary told her friends that she was impregnated by the holy spirit, everyone laughed at her and from that day April 1st is known as April's Fools day.
 
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:biggrin:

Never thought of it that way before.
 
Well, according to The Simpsons, it has something to do with the changing of new years day from April 1st to January 1st. The converted Christians who switched to Rome's calendar used January. The Pagans used April, those fools.

Njorl
 
Tsunami said:
Here's the first thing Google gave me on 'Origin of April Fool's Day".

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aprilfools1.html

There are a lot more sites than this, tho.

The French never cease to entertain. Was Jerry Lewis behind this one? :biggrin:

The French came to call April 1 Poisson d'Avril, or "April Fish." French children sometimes tape a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates, crying "Poisson d'Avril" when the prank is discovered.
 
Why April 1st? Good quetion. In ancient times it was hotly debated whether or not every month needed to have a 1st.
 
Chen said:
So what are the origins of this day? Today I heard a nice little theory, obviously it's not true but I thought it was nice. :wink:

The day is April 1st, right? Jump 8 months and about 3 weeks forward and you arrive at December 25th, the birthday of Jesus. So on April 1st, when Mary told her friends that she was impregnated by the holy spirit, everyone laughed at her and from that day April 1st is known as April's Fools day.

Very astute! And very funny! :biggrin:
 

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