Being li'l naughty, playing a prank on someone, confusing people with riddles and brain-teasers... everything's fair when it comes down to April Fools' Day ! So reach out to friends/ family/ loved ones with funny and humorous April Fools' Day cards. Have a day fool of fun and joy !

April Fools' Day-History And Origins

It would be foolish to ascribe any particular day or event to the origins of April Fools' Day because the beginnings of the April Fools tradition dwell in obscurity. Nobody knows for sure how this tradition of fooling people came into popular practice or when exactly was the first April Fools' Day celebrated. Hello�no fooling this ! The history of April Fools' Day, sometimes also called All Fools' Day, is actually quite vague and unclear.
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However, history relates that prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, cultures as diverse as the ancient Romans and the Indian Hindus celebrated New Year's Day on April 1. This day followed right after the celebrations of the Spring equinox, which falls on March 21. In those times, it was actually a New Year week that was celebrated, starting from March 25 and ending on April 1. With the calendar reforms of 1582 in France, by Pope Gregory XIII, the New Year's Day was set to January 1. While many countries refused to accept this change and continued to celebrate New Year on April 1, some didn't get to know about this change�thanks to the miserable communication system of those times ! In either case, they had to bear the brunt of all the ridicule that the general people reserved for them each year. These traditionalists were sent on "fool's errands" (fake ventures) or were tricked by practical jokes. They were labeled as traditional "fools" by the major populace ! Now, this act of fooling and ridicule eventually culminated into today's tradition of playing pranks on April 1--the April Fools' Day.
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The April Fools' Day tradition moved to England and Scotland in the 18th century. And then, gradually, it spread to the American colonies of the European countries. Finally, with the fun and prankish spirits catching on, April Fools' Day came to be celebrated globally with much mischief-making and loads of fun !
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Now, the fool of April 1, that is, the April Fool, has got various names in various places much like the April Fools' Day itself. In English, they are called 'April fool'; in the Lake District of England, an April Fool is called an 'April noddy'; in Cheshire it's 'April gawby' or 'gobby' or 'gob'; in Cornwall, an April Fool is called a 'guckaw' or 'gowk'; in France, they are referred to as 'Poisson d'avril' (meaning an April fish); and in Scottish language, they are called 'Gowk' (meaning a cuckoo). Whatever the name, the fun lives on more and more� So before you get fooled out on April Fools' Day, get set to be the trickster yourself and the first one to yell "April Fool" !