By Hope Humphreys April Fools’ Day is a day filled with pranks, trickery, and unsurprisingly, many hoaxes as to how it came to be. So, how did this mischief-filled holiday actually start? What historical events led to Taco Bell convincing gullible Americans that they bought the Liberty Bell and renamed it “The Taco Liberty Bell,” or to my fifth grade teacher persuading over half my class that we needed to save the endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus? Even looking beyond hoaxes, the true origins of April Fools’ Day are unclear, but various historians have speculated on and debated connections to many different events throughout history. The earliest connected event, a celebration called Hilaria, began in ancient Rome. This festival took place at the end of March and honored the goddess Cybele. It included parades, games, disguises, and mocking other citizens, including nobility. April Fools’ Day has also been tied by some to various celebrations of the vernal equinox, which marks the beginning of spring. Another occurrence that historians have used to explain April Fools’ Day began in France in 1582 after they switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. This switch moved the start of the new year from around April 1st to January 1st. People who rejected the new date or were unaware of it were made fun of, being called “April fools” and pranked. One of these pranks was placing paper fish on their backs to symbolize that they were “poisson d’avril” (April fish), implying that they were gullible and “easily hooked.” One historical hoax was pulled off by Professor Joseph Boskin from Boston University in the 1980s. He managed to convince many, including the Associated Press, that April Fools’ Day originated from a group of court jesters and fools questioning Roman emperor Constantine’s rule. According to him, Constantine was amused and allowed a jester named Kugel to become “King Kugel” for a day, who declared it a day of absurdity. From then on, it became an annual tradition. There was only one problem with this story. Boskin completely made it up on the spot. The star of the story, Kugel, was named after a traditional Jewish noodle dish. In actual fact, by the 18th century celebration of April Fools’ Day had spread across Europe. A common prank was to send people on fake errands. In Scotland, April Fools’ Day was actually celebrated for two days, the first being “hunting the gowk” (fake errands) and the second being Tallie Day, in which people would attach things such as tails or kick me signs to the backs of others. One prank on April Fools’ Day in 1698 Britain was an invitation to “the Annual Ceremony of Washing The Lions” at the Tower of London. Unfortunate attendees of this made-up ceremony found no celebration, and were mocked in the newspaper for falling for it the next day. While all of these explanations are possibilities, it is unlikely the true origins will ever be known for sure. For all we know, historians may be having a good laugh at all of our expenses, or the record-keepers of the past had a good laugh at them. The concrete beginning of April Fools’ Day fittingly remains a mystery, a testament to the good-humored chaos and confusion associated with the day. To learn more about how you can help the endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus: Save The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus For more information on the “King Kugel” hoax: How a BU Prof April-Fooled the Country | BU Today Sources: April Fools' Day: Origins, Meaning & Hoaxes - HISTORY April Fools' Day: Why Do We Celebrate It? infoplease: April Fools' Day: Origin and History How a BU Prof April-Fooled the Country | BU Today If you want to write for the Crescent Crier, we would love to see you at one of our virtual meetings, which are every Wednesday at 1:30pm! To come to a meeting, fill out this form: https://forms.gle/TrQ5PqFcDqeE2yiB9, and we’ll send you a link ASAP. If you would like to submit a single article - or anything else like creative writing, an opinion, an art piece, photo or photo series, or something else entirely - then you can do that using this form: https://forms.gle/WAHSoWJuVwK3q5du6. If you want to contact us for any reason, you can email
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