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Some say that it is from 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII decreed the adoption of the “Gregorian calendar”, which moved New Year’s Day from the end of March to January 1. The change was published widely, but those who didn’t get the message and continued to celebrate on April 1, were ridiculed and, because they were seen as foolish, called April Fools.
Others say that April Fools’ Day is a remnant of early “renewal festivals,” which typically marked the end of winter and the start of spring. These festivals typically involved “ritualized forms of mayhem and misrule. Participants donned disguises, played tricks on friends as well as strangers, and inverted the social order.
Another thoery is in 1539, Flemish poet Eduard de Dene wrote of a nobleman who sent his servants on foolish errands on April 1, to show the class rank of the nobleman to the servants.
Whatever the origin, millions each year, enjoy the pranks, jokes and humor of the holiday. Happy April Fool's Day!