In Chaucer’s mind, the actual Fool’s day was May 2nd, when England’s King, Richard II, got engaged to the Bohemian, Anne of Luxemburg. In Chaucer’s mind, Richard was the Fool.
But this day has more than one origin story. In 1582, France switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. This change moved the start of the year from March to January 1st. So, those who still celebrated New Year’s in March were roundly ridiculed and had a paper fish put on their back. These people were called “poisson d’avril” or April’s fish, which suggested being young, easily caught, and stinking from the head.
April Fool’s Day may have roots in Ancient Rome, where some people put on costumes and mocked others on the street. In Scotland, April Fool’s is a two-day affair. The first is often called Hunting the Gowk, or being sent on a wild cuckoo chase. The second part, known as Taillie Day, involves putting derogatory signs on the seats of other people’s pants.
It seems fitting that simply describing the origins of April Fool’s Day sounds like an April Fool’s Day joke, which might be the best April Fool’s Day joke.
Happy April Fool’s Day!
Foolishness in April first appeared in print in Geoffrey Chaucer’s 'Canterbury Tales,' circa 1470s. But some historians now believe a printer's error gave us the wrong date.
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