Today is April 1st, April Fools' Day. But why? The joke appeared in France, in the XNUMXth century, when the French king decided to adopt the Gregorian calendar.
In the beginning of the 25th century, the New Year was celebrated on March 1th, a date that also marked the arrival of spring. The festivities lasted a week and ended on April XNUMXst.
But in 1564, after the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, King Charles IX of France determined that the New Year would be celebrated on January 1st.
Some French resisted the change and continued to follow the old calendar, whereby the year would start on April 1st. But some people began to ridicule them, send them weird gifts, or invite them to parties that didn't exist. These games became known as jokes.
In English-speaking countries April Fool's Day is often known as April Fools' Day, “Day of Fools (April)”; in Italy and France it is called, respectively, April Fool e April Fool, literally “April fish”.
In Portugal, on April Fools' Day, it is customary for people to play pranks on each other and tell lies. Newspapers, namely the Sul Informação, also maintain the tradition of publishing fanciful news…which some believe.
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