April 1 is marked every year as April Fools' Day across the world. It is the day when people play pranks and jokes on each other and churn out hilarious ideas to pull their friends and loved ones' legs. The practice of playing hoaxes and pranks and then yelling “April Fool!” has remained the same all these years.

History and origin

The origin of April Fools' Day is not known but it is believed that the practice dates back to 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian Calendar. With this, the New Year's celebration moved to January 1 but some people refused to accept it and continued to mark the New Year in April. People then started mocking those who stuck to the old calendar and this is how the practice of April Fools' Day began.

Some also believe that the celebration stems from the Romanian festival of Hilaria, which means Joyful in Latin. On this day, people in ancient Rome would dress up in disguises and make fun of each other and play games.

April Fools' Day is also linked to the vernal equinox, which is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

Celebrations

The celebrations of April Fools' Day involve cracking light-hearted jokes and playing hoaxes and pranks on people. Some also send others on “fool's errands” and together laugh. If you want to enjoy April Fools' Day to the fullest then play pranks at the beginning of the day so that people are still unaware of the date.

It is advised to keep the pranks harmless as the occasion is all about having fun and sharing a great moment. One should also not spread misinformation in the garb of playing pranks as it can spoil the occasion.