Observed in most parts of the world on April 1, the origins of All Fools’ Day can be traced back to carnivals and festivals like Hilaria of ancient Rome and Holi in India.

Folklorists and experts, however, believe that the modern custom of playing pranks began in 1564, with adoption of the reformed calendar. Those who refused to accept the new calendar and change the beginning of the year from April 1 to January 1 were made subjects of pranks. The custom started to be observed in England in the 18th century.

In France, the fooled person is called poisson d’avril (April fish). In Scotland, the fool is called gowk (cuckoo) because the bird of spring is also a symbol for simpleton.

In Mexico, All Fools’ Day is celebrated on December 28. It is also related to the

Massacre of the Innocents by the Biblical King Herod.

Information from The New Encyclopaedia Britannica and The Encyclopaedia Americana

Constantine & Kugel prank

Another explanation of the origins of April Fools’ Day was provided by Joseph Boskin, a professor of history at Boston University. He explained that the practice began during the reign of Constantine, when a group of court jesters and fools told the Roman emperor that they could do a better job of running the empire. Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be king for one day. Kugel passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the custom became an annual event.

This explanation was brought to the public’s attention in an Associated Press article printed by many newspapers in

1983. There was only one catch: Boskin made the whole thing up. It took a couple of weeks for the AP to realise that they’d been victims of an April Fools’ joke themselves.

Source: Internet