When April 1st rolls around each year, tricksters and jokesters have a great time trying to play pranks on people as they celebrate April Fool’s Day. But, do you know where this all started? Read a little bit about the history of April Fool’s Day, and then you can learn a few tricks to try on your friends or family.

The History of April Fool’s Day

April Fool’s Day started several hundred years ago when people in England began pulling pranks on people.

While this silly day has been celebrated for many years and is also known as All Fools’ Day, how it all began is still not exactly known.

A few historians suspect that April Fools’ Day goes back to 1582 when France changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. With the change in calendar, the new year now began on January 1st, not April 1st. People who did not hear of this change continued to celebrate the new year during the last week of March and were seen as fools by those who were aware of the change.

Those who knew of the change played tricks on those who didn’t know, including placing paper fish on their backs and calling them “poisson d’avril” (April fish) because they were considered an “easily hooked” and gullible person for not knowing of the calendar change.

April Fool’s’ Day spread all through Britain in the eighteenth century. In Scotland, the custom turned into a two-day occasion, beginning with “hunting the gowk,” in which individuals were sent on fake errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo – a silly bird) and the next day was Tailie Day. On Tailie Day. people stuck signs on individuals’ derrieres, for example, phony tails or “kick me” signs.

A Few Pranks for You

If you love trying to pull a few pranks on your friends or family on April Fool’s Day, here’s a few you can try this year!

• Do you have someone in your life who loves to come home and watch television? Place a small piece of clear tape over the sensor, and they won’t be watching t.v. on April Fool’s Day!
• You can make the water that comes out of your faucet a different color by dipping a Q-tip in food dye and rubbing it on the inside of the faucet. The next person who comes for a glass of water will have colored water.
• If you have office co-workers who are always looking for a snack, bring a box of donuts to the office, but remove the donuts and fill the box with healthy vegetables. Yum!
• If you happen to have a dental appointment on April 1st, eat a couple of Oreo cookies before you walk in. You hygienist will love you!
• If you’re looking to trick your children, place cereal and milk in a bowl and freeze it overnight. Grab it out of the freezer right before breakfast and watch as they try to put their spoon it!
• Do you have framed family photos around the house? Replace the pictures with famous celebrities and see how long it takes for your family to notice.
• Another funny prank involving Oreos has you taking out the creamy, white filling and replacing it with white toothpaste. Then offer them as a snack or dessert to your favorite person!
• If you have a co-worker who steps away from their desk and leaves their water bottle behind, unscrew the top and put some plastic wrap over the opening and then put the cap back on. Voila! No water when they go for a drink!

So get ready to celebrate April Fool’s Day and try one of these simple pranks out! Hopefully, a good laugh will be had by all!