Poisson d'Avril
Been the victim of any pranks today? Chances are that somebody will try to catch you out as today is April Fool’s Day. After a bit of Googling I managed to find out a bit of history behind the significance of April 1st.
Apparently it all originated in France during the 16th Century. Up until 1562, the New Year began on April 1st and was celebrated with partying and drinking, pretty much like New Year these days. Then Pope Gregory introduced the Christian calendar, and deemed that the New Year began on January 1st. Mass confusion then ensued and those who didn’t believe the change (or hadn’t been informed), continued to party like it was 1599, and were known to those aware of the change, as 'April Fools'.
Around the middle of the 18th Century, Britain adopted the French tradition and it was soon spread to it’s colonies throughout the world.
{ via about.com }
Posted 9 years, 2 months ago