Every April 1, someone swaps the sugar for salt, a newspaper prints a ridiculous story, or a co-worker tapes something silly to your back. It's a tradition so old and widespread that it feels like it has always existed. So who played the very first April Fools' joke?
The honest answer: nobody knows for sure. Historians have proposed many theories, but the true origin of April Fools' Day is not known. The earliest clear written description of an April 1 prank comes from a 1561 poem by the Flemish poet Eduard de Dene, about a nobleman who sent his servant on foolish errands on that day.
The Chaucer Clue That Probably Isn't
Some people point all the way back to Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, from 1392. In one story, a vain rooster named Chauntecleer is tricked by a fox on a date that seems to work out to April 1.
But the link is disputed. Other details in the same story don't fit April 1, and modern scholars think there's a copying error in the surviving manuscripts. If they're right, Chaucer actually meant a date in early May. So the rooster's bad day probably has nothing to do with April Fools'.
Clues From France and Flanders
In 1508, the French poet Eloy d'Amerval mentioned a poisson d'avril, which means April fish. It may be the first reference to the celebration in France. To this day, in France and several neighboring places, the day is known as April fish, and a classic prank is sneaking a paper fish onto someone's back.
Then comes de Dene's 1561 poem, the earliest unmistakable April Fools' reference. It's a simple setup that still works today: send someone off on a pointless errand and enjoy watching them figure it out.
The Calendar Theory, and Its Problem
One popular explanation involves calendars. In the Middle Ages, many European towns celebrated the new year on March 25, and in some parts of France the holiday ended on April 1. The theory goes that people who used January 1 made fun of those who still celebrated in spring.
France officially adopted January 1 as New Year's Day in 1564. The trouble is that de Dene's poem came three years earlier, and Britain had April Fools' customs before it switched calendars too. So the calendar story may be part of the picture, but it can't be the whole explanation.
Washing the Lions
In Britain, writer John Aubrey called the day "Fooles holy day" in 1686, the first British reference. Just a few years later, on April 1, 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to see the lions washed. There was, of course, no such event.
Scotland developed its own version, called Huntigowk Day. A victim was handed a sealed note to deliver, supposedly asking for help. The note actually said to send the bearer on to someone else, and the errand went on and on.
Fooling the Whole Country
Pranks eventually went big. In 1957, the BBC aired a film showing Swiss farmers harvesting spaghetti from trees. So many viewers asked how to get a spaghetti plant that the BBC had to explain the hoax on the news the next day.
From a nobleman's silly errand to a spaghetti harvest on national TV, the spirit hasn't changed much in more than 450 years. Somebody sets up a harmless trick, somebody falls for it, and everybody gets a good laugh.
