Today is April Fool’s Day. It always falls on 1 April and its real history is unknown.

April Fool's Illustration by Desi Comments

It is thought it could be related to an ancient Roman festival: Hilaria which took place at the end of March. People would disguise themselves to play games or play practical jokes like sending others on ‘Fool’s Errands’.

Another possible origin is the link between the 1st April and the March/Vernal Equinox which marks the arrival of spring. Many people thought that Mother Nature was fooling them with unpredictable weather.

It is also thought that April Fool's Day could also be related to the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar. Back in 1582, France officially changed their calendars from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar. It is thought that back in those times, the news of the change didn’t reach everyone; others weren’t happy about the change so for these two reasons many continued to celebrate the New Year on 1st April instead of January 1st which marked the date of the new year.

In the UK pranking on 1st April ends at Noon.

Bad joke images courtesy of nearlynatural.com