April Fools Day Information

April Fools Day is a celebrated each year on the first day of April. There are many different theories about the origin of April Fools Day. One of the more commonly accepted ideas is that, up until 1552, New Year's was celebrated from March 25 through April 1. However in 1582, the Gregorian calendar was adopted, and New Years was changed to January 1. People who refused to acknowledge this change were referred to as April Fools. People played pranks on them by inviting them to phony New Years parties on April 1, or giving them gag gifts to "celebrate" the occasion. On this day, people enjoy playing harmless pranks on each other. Individuals are not the only ones to get in on the fun... Businesses, TV stations, and other establishments often play pranks of their own on the general public. One famous prank, played by a news station in 1957, involved a report on the harvesting of spaghetti trees. It featured people plucking spaghetti from trees. Many people were duped by this report, and some even called the news station to ask where they could get their own spaghetti trees!

Fast Facts:

1. Not an actual holiday
2. Also known as All Fools Day
3. Is the theme of the 1986 movie, April Fools Day
4. In France, children tape paper fish to their friends' backs, and yell, "Poisson d’Avril!" (April Fish!)
5. In Germany and Norway, April fools is celebrated on April 1 and April 30

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