~::Simple thoughts::~

April Fools' Day 

APRIL Fools’ Day is a day for fooling around a bit – a day for practical jokes. The "April Fools’ Day" custom came from Europe, although there is no historical consensus on its origin. Some historians claim that the calendar change ordered by Pope Gregory in 1592 added one more day to the calendar and changed the first day of the year to January first instead of April first. Others say April Fools’ Day came from the Roman festival of the Hilaria celebrated around this time of the year. Some suggest that the weather in early April can fool people in Europe because of sudden temperature changes. Whatever its origin, the custom of keeping April Fools’ Day has gained some popularity here in the Philippines. So for those who like to play jokes on others, this day is a window of opportunity that won’t be repeated until the Feast of the Holy Innocents on December 28.

An April Fool is anyone who is tricked or made the target of a joke on April first. Common tricks are to send people on impossible errands, such as purchasing something that does not exist – like turkey milk, for example. Another trick is to lead one’s coworker to think that he or she won a prize in a contest – bogus text messages work well for this prank. If that does not sound very funny, how about setting the office clock back an hour, so that people think that they still have to work for another hour.

Some people just like to tell corny old jokes on April Fools’ Day. Here’s one, for example. Question: Why are people always so tired on April first? Answer: Because they just completed a 31-day March. Perhaps Mark Twain’s quip catches the essence of April Fools’ Day. Twain said: "April Fools’ Day is the day when we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year." Twain may have simply been suggesting that we need a good sense of humor when it comes to April Fools’ Day.
April Fools’ Day is just a day to have a little fun. Keep a good sense of humor and don’t take anything too seriously today. This serves as a reminder and a warning. Today is April Fools’ Day!