April Fools' Day

April Fools' Day: Why do we collectively try to mess with others on 1 April, and how do countries celebrate this festival of foolishness?

Only the Netherlands had to be sacrificed on the alter of prank this year. Just to be clear – the rest of this article is based on facts. The Portuguese don’t celebrate April Fools’ Day on 1 April and prefer the Sunday and Monday prior to Lent. The prank first appeared in a British newspaper on 2 April 1698, where an article on the front page read: "Yesterday being the first of April, several persons were sent to the Tower Ditch to see the Lions washed." In 2008, they fooled their audience again with their viral Miracles of Evolution trailer, which appeared to show some special penguins that had regained the ability to fly. In England, it had become a popular prank to send gullible victims to the Tower of London to see the washing of the lions – a ceremony that didn’t exist. Much later on, the BBC infamously reported on 1 April 1957 in a spoof segment that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees. It is called Gowkie Day, for the gowk - or cuckoo - a symbol of the fool. When the person receives the letter, they open it, read it and tell the messenger that they will have to take the letter to another person. April Fools’ Day is only celebrated for half a day in England. Others have pointed out that the Holi festival in India, which also takes place in March, could be the source of the day. Many trace the custom back to medieval France where 25 March used to be New Year's Day until the Julian calendar was reformed in 1564 and changed to the Gregorian calendar.

April Fools day has rolled around once again so make sure you don't get caught out and stick with the Mirror to see all of the best jokes and pranks as they ...

It was the perfect fit." Dulux says it has a royal announcement which is 'hound' to cause a stir... [Bizarre news on April 1](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/april-fools-day-live-best-26607458) told of the Prime Minister's apparent then-resignation, crocodiles on the beach, the renaming of the Prince of Wales Bridge and a giant white horse statue dubbed "Angel of the South" in Kent. While we're on the lookout for the biggest pranks of 2023 we can look back to last year's April Fool's Day. Numbers in the musical are said to include "The Cold Never Bothered My Todger Anyway", "The Dogbowl Song", "(Not) The Best Man", "I'll Make A Man Out Of You (Behind A Very Busy Pub)" and "Camilla's Lament". The new game is imaginatively titled Harry & Meghan: Call of Dukey, and will apparently launch a week before the coronation. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'will launch a video game ahead of the Coronation' A mock-up of the dairy label, named Matt Hancock's Cheddar, features the politician's face and the strapline “Cheese for the people”. The paint brand writes: "Fans must now wave goodbye to the beloved icon, and all rise to welcome the new face of the paint brand – a King Charles Spaniel." Matt Hancock to launch a new cheese brand - a 'cheese for the people' When asked about the branding strategy and creative execution, an agency spokesperson said that one of Hancock’s primary aims for launching the brand was to "normalise politicians" and make them more "relatable". In more recent years, the day has also become a prime opportunity for companies and brands to play pranks and jokes on the unsuspecting public online as well.

April Fools' Day is in full swing as the Australian public and brands try and fool each other with both outlandish and sort of believable fake claims.

Now I’m just disappointed that I can’t go and look at it,' one user wrote. An impersonator, Reggie Brown, was dressed and covered in make-up to appear like the former US president. I’m a bit slow this morning. 'Say hello to Farmer Alf! The Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers joined in claiming that a South American anaconda had made its way to the Buderim Falls in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. A South American anaconda spotted outside a trail walk on the Sunshine Coast by the Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers (pictured) was not all it appeared to be Facebook site for Perth locals, Perth is OK, posted a picture of the city's brand new waterfall that had appeared off one of its braches: 'Coogee Falls, only 40 minutes from the Perth CBD!' The award for most people fooled might go to reality TV show, Farmer Wants a Wife, for 'announcing' that Home and Away character, Alf Stewart, would be joining the show (pictured) Some Perth locals were fooled by a social media account that claimed the city was going to be the first Southern Hemisphere city to witness the Aurora Borealis (stock image) 'Perth may be the first city in the southern hemisphere to ever witness the Aurora Borealis (the Northern Lights) due to a rare, once in a lifetime example of extreme tropospheric ducting,' the Facebook page wrote. No fuss. No mess.

Individuals, companies and organisations are all taking to social media to embrace the fun by playing hilarious jokes on unsuspecting people.

A spokesperson for the Mexican restaurant, famed for its iconic Chiquito sombreros, music and fiesta fun said: “The new range is the start of an ambitious project to use plant based foods to enhance the skin’s natural appearance. This was developed and became the first of the new range called Exfoli-guacamole, which is an Avocado cleanser made from fresh avocado, Mexican lime and a B-vitamin complex to boost brightness and dark eyes. The new service ‘Drone ‘n’ Deliver’ will allow people to order food wherever they are and then it will be delivered speedily to them via drone. A spokesperson for Chopstix said: “We’ve consistently had customers ask for their favourite dishes to be tinned to be taken away so they can be enjoyed later in the week, at weddings, birthdays and even enjoyed over Christmas in years to come. To mark its 75th anniversary as the UK's most loved crisp brand, Walkers are sharing the love with a brand new look. The chain has released Sweet and Sour Chicken, Sweet Chilli Prawns, and Caramel Drizzle Chicken in cans, which have all been designed to stay fresh for more than 50 years. Store manager, Clair Jordans, said: "This is a fantastic initiative from Thorpe Park to utilise the lost and not-found unclaimed shoes. In its place will be a King Charles Spaniel as the paint company pays homage to King Charles III’s Coronation on May 6. Katie Georgeson, Marketing Manager at 4lite, said: “Poor sleep quality is a huge problem for millions of people in the UK, with many suffering from interrupted sleep patterns due to natural light seeping through curtains and blinds. Sasha Storey, Frankie & Benny’s Head of Brand, said: "At Frankie & Benny’s we believe that innovative tech will allow us to be the market leader with this new food delivery system. Based on KAYAK’s unique algorithm of flight data and user reviews, the new feature 'Silent Flights' will help travellers easily search for flights that have a higher likelihood to offer a calm and interruption-free atmosphere. The Chatty Cathys of the world can also seek solace knowing they’ll be able to talk away to their hearts desire during their flight without the fear of judgement and eyerolls from fellow passengers.

Whether Ryan Reynolds is playing in goal or the Flying Scotsman is being repainted tartan, we've all fallen victim to an April Fools' joke at some point.

, the director-general of the BBC at the time even fell for this trick, looking in an encyclopedia to find out if this was actually how spaghetti was grown. The joke continued for many years after that and even required a newspaper to debunk the joke after people kept falling victim to it. Originally, the new year was celebrated in line with the spring equinox, which falls towards the end of March and into the start of April. And the irony of it is that, despite being marked in calendars for several centuries, no one really knows where April Fools’ Day comes from. It is commonly linked with practical jokes and pranks, with “April Fools” yelled out as the punchline. Love it or hate it, April Fools’ Day rolls around each year to the fanfare of pranksters everywhere.

Not everyone realised the start of the new year had moved to January 1, which had been decided by Pope Gregory XIII, so they became the butt of many jokes.

According to experts, after the French deposed King Louis XVI, King George III of England jokingly stepped down. People would usually wear disguises and play tricks on friends and strangers to celebrate. This has been going on for several centuries, but the origins of the day are actually contested. Previously the new year had been marked between March 25 and April 1. Anyone telling jokes in the afternoon is considered to be a "fool" themselves. However, this isn't the only theory going.