Well, the truth is that no-one really knows for sure where this tradition comes from. This is partly because the custom is so old that it is hard to pin down the precise origins. There are, however, several possibilities. There is a theory that the origin of April Fools’ Day, also known as All Fools' Day, comes from as early as the Bible. This theory states that Noah sent out the raven from the arc, which he did before the flood water had subsided, on the Hebrew equivalent of April 1st.
Another possibility is that it emerged when the Julian calendar was replaced by the Gregorian one, which caused confusion. In pre-Christian times the commencement of summer was celebrated in the beginning of May and the change in calendar meant that some people celebrated in April, rather than May, thus being dubbed April fools.
In addition, there is a hypothesis that the custom emerged in France. April the 1st was the French New Year, until Charles IX altered it to January. However, many French citizens continued to celebrate the New Year in April, and were reportedly known as April fools.
Customs
In some countries, such as the UK, New Zealand, Canada and Australia, pranks are said to only be valid in the morning. If an individual attempts to ‘fool’ somebody after midday, he or she is said to be the April Fool. In other countries, however, practical jokes are played all day long.
Famous Foolery
There have been many elaborate hoaxes throughout the ages. In all kinds of media, from newspapers to radio and television. The 1957 prank, by the British television company BBC, about spaghetti tress and that year’s bumper harvest is still one of the most famous television hoaxes. In 1965 the BBC was at it again, claiming that they had developed smell-o-vision. More recently, in the United States, Taco Bell ran an advertising campaign, claiming that the company had bought the Liberty Bell, and renamed it the ‘Taco Liberty Bell’.
National Public Radio, in the US, has an annual news story hoax for April Fools’ Day. In 2008 the station claimed that the IRS was concerned that rebate cheques were being spent, and therefore were it was to start sending household products rather than money.
The internet has provided another outlet for public pranks. The first online hoax was as early as 1984, when Usenet was said to be opened to the Soviet Union. In 2005, on the NASA website, it was claimed to have pictures of water on Mars. The pictures were, in actual fact, a chocolate Mars bar with a glass of water on it.
