14 DAY TRIAL // Today is April Fool's Day, when it's impossible to trust anything you hear, read or see, and everyone celebrates by playing a prank on others or being pranked.
April 1 is widely recognized and celebrated in various countries as a day when people play tricks and hoaxes on each other, and, in the current Information era, the press and media also publish hoax stories in an attempt to fool their readers.
There's some uncertainty about the origins of this bizarre celebration, but the most accepted theory says that April Fool's Day is related to the adoption of a new calendar back in the 16th century in France.
In some areas of the country, New Year's was a week-long holiday ending on April 1. However, in 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII replaced the Julian Calendar with a new one (the Gregorian Calendar), the New Year's Day celebration shifted to January 1. That's when some people started to make fun of the traditionalists who refused to recognize the change and continued to celebrate New Year's on the first day of April.
April Fool's Day is a day of celebration throughout the Western world, but while playing jokes, sending people on a “fool's errand,” and trying to make them believe things that aren't real are common practices, tradition slightly differs from one country to another.
In France, for instance, April 1 is called “Poisson d'Avril,” or “April Fish.” One common joke is to tape a picture of a fish on the back of a person and shout “Poisson d'Avril” when the prank is discovered.
In Scotland, April Fool's lasts for two days, and people call the holiday “Hunt-the-Gowk” (Cuckoo) Day, while the second day is known as “Taily Day.” Victims of pranks are called “gowks” (cuckoo birds).
The traditional prank played by the Scottish is to ask someone to deliver a sealed message requesting some help. In fact, that someone will have to travel in an infinite loop, as the message reads “Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile.” After reading the note, the recipient will send the messenger to another person with the same message and the same result.
April's Fool Day is celebrated in Portugal on the Sunday and Monday before Lent, and the traditional trick there is to throw flour at your friends.
In Iran, people use to spend the afternoon outside, celebrating the new season and indulging in food, laughter and good jokes. A common tradition there is to throw away green vegetables, which represent potential illnesses or bad luck for the coming year.
Meanwhile, Indians celebrate the Holi festival on March 31. They play jokes, toss colored dust and paint their faces and bodies to inaugurate the new season.
Be on the lookout today, as the Internet will be full of lies and pranks.