This is certainly not true, but you will not find the widespread international holiday of April 1 in any calendar. Somewhere this holiday is called the Day of Laughter, and somewhere - just the Day of Fools.
There are suggestions that the birthplace of this holiday is France during the time of Charles IX, when a decree was created to postpone the New Year from April 1 to January 1.
Those who adopted the new rules did not miss the opportunity to play a trick on the Old Believers and gave them New Year empty gifts, calling them "fools", and the king himself called them nothing but "sleepy April fish". Therefore, on April 1, the French began to call the Day of Fools, and for the sake of a joke, they secretly attached fish (Poisson dAvril) cut out of paper to each other on the backs.
As "April Fool`s Day" is celebrated in English-speaking countries
As the celebration of April 1 grew into an international holiday, more and more sophisticated jokes and jokes began to appear. All over the world, it is customary to play tricks on relatives, friends, relatives and acquaintances. Nowadays, the media and TV channels also began to participate in the draws, but each country has its own characteristics. Something stuck more, something less.
How is April Fool's Day celebrated in Britain
In this country, it is customary to joke, offering to carry out various stupid errands, such as finding the teeth of a bird, buying sweet vinegar or salt, measuring the unmeasurable, etc. If a person is "led" as a joke, then after him shout "April fool!" You can fall for the bait of jokers only before lunchtime, since it is no longer accepted to joke in the afternoon.
Depending on the region of Britain, the victim of the prank is called: "noodle" - noodles, "noddy" - fool, simpleton, "cuckoo" or "April gowk" - cuckoo, fool ...
How is April Fool's Day in Scotland
Unlike the rest of Britain, the residents of Scotland liked the holiday so much that they decided to extend it and now they have fun for two whole days! The second day is called "Taily Day", i.e. Tail Day, when jokes are made about what is below the waist. The sonorous motto of this day: "Kick me!" - "Kick me!"
April Fool's Day in Australia
Here, April 1 begins with real laughter along all the morning channels, which open with the bird laughter of the kookaburra, similar to the hysterical laughter of a man, and sometimes a donkey cry. This bird owes its second name - "laughing donkey" to this cry. Such a fun start to the day sets the already always cheerful Australians on a promising day in terms of jokes and practical jokes.
April Fool`s Day in the USA
Since the Fool's Day spread very quickly throughout Europe, in the 18th century its spread in colonies throughout America did not take long. Here people also tried to come up with sophisticated but pointless pranks, jokes, pranks and funny tricks. On this day, you can often find salt on the table instead of sugar and vice versa. Therefore, be attentive and careful not to hear after - "April Fool"!
April begins with a day of fun and jokes - April Fool "s Day. No one really knows when this custom began but it has been kept for hundreds of years.
The First of April, some do say
Is set apart for All Fools Day;
But why the people call it so,
Not I, nor they themselves do know.
Change of calendars
It is commonly believed that that April Fool came about because of the change of calendars. In 1582, Pope Gregory introduced a new calendar called the Gregorian calendar which is the calendar we still use today.
The new calendar was introduced because the old calendar, called the Julian calendar, was ahead by ten days because each year was a little too long. Gregory moved the new calendar forward by ten days.
Britain didn "t accept the new calendar until 1752.
In the Julian calendar, the old calendar, New Year was celebrated from March 25th to April 1st. The first day of the Gregorian calendar is January 1st.
France
In France, people were forgetful and other people refused to accept the new calendar, so they still celebrated New Year on April 1st. Other people would play tricks on them and call them April Fools.
Jews
There is a custom among Jews that the custom of making fools on the first of April arose from the fact that Noah sent out the dove on the first of the month corresponding to our April.
When did April Fool become popular in England?
April fooling became popular in England and Scotland during the 1700s.
April fool jokes
April Fool jokes usually involve persuading someone to do something silly, like looking for hen "s teeth, striped paint, a long weight, a left-handed screwdriver or some other non-existent thing.
However, you can only play April Fools on people before midday –at midday the fun must stop or the trickster is told:
"April Fool" s Day is past and gone,
Your "re the fool and I am none."
April Fool 1957
One of the great April Fool jokes took place on April 1st, 1957. The BBC TV program Panorama did a documentary on "spaghetti farmers" growing "spaghetti trees." The hoax Panorama program featured a family from Ticino in Switzerland carrying out their annual spaghetti harvest. It showed women carefully plucking strands of spaghetti from a tree and laying them in the sun to dry.
The joke was an enormous success. Hundreds of people believed there was such things as spaghetti trees. Soon after the broadcast ended, the BBC began to receive hundreds of calls from puzzled viewers. Did spaghetti really grow on trees, they wanted to know. Others were eager to learn how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC reportedly replied that they should "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best." :)
April Fool "s Day in 2005
The tradition of celebrating April Fool's Day began in 1582 in France and is associated with the New Years holiday. Then the New Year was celebrated for eight days, starting on March 25 and ending on April 1. After the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, April 1 became January 1.
In those days, news spread very slowly, and some did not receive news for several years. There were also cases when people refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1. They were called fools and played as best they could. Then it became a tradition. In Scotland, this day is called the Day of the Cuckoo.
The usual pranks for April Fools' Day are to say "your laces are untied", to turn the clock hands. It all ends with the victim being told “April's Fool.” On this day, it is not customary to send funny cards and give gifts. As a rule, these are some small urgent souvenirs. Usually jokes are played on friends and acquaintances. The media take part in the draws, but there is one specific feature: the draw time is limited - only until 12 noon.
April 1 - April Fools' Day. Day of jokes and fun games. I offer 2 poems for english languagededicated to this funny day.
True, they are not suitable for a preschooler, since, most likely, they will simply not understand, and, accordingly, are not interesting. It is much better to play various funny games with them on this day.
But for schoolchildren ...
A friend of mine I thought was cool
Just called me an “April Fool”.
“That isn’t fair,” I said when we talked,
But he tried to trip me as we walked.
He said he’d eaten dog food and now he was sick.
I didn’t know if he was pulling a trick.
And I don’t know how he got a mousetrap,
But he threw it down and it slammed with a “Snap!”
He wanted me to join in his pranks,
But I frowned at him and said, “No, thanks.”
“Come on, I'll show you,” he eagerly beckoned,
But he’s the fool, it’s April the second.
One friend of mine I thought was cool
Just called me "April Fool"
“It's not fair,” I told him,
But he kept trying to trip me up as we walked.
He said he ate dog food and got sick.
I didn't know if he was cheating.
I don't know how he got the mousetrap
But he threw her, and she slammed "Bam!"
He wanted me to join his antics
But I frowned and said "No thanks!"
April Fool's Day is here.
It is a day of fun.
If you are really clever.
You can fool someone!
Or someone may come
and tell a word to you.
And you may say
“Oh, no! Oh, no! ”
But then they look at you
With a sly grin.
And that is when
Their fun begins!
"April's fool!" they shout.
And then they laugh at you.
It is so much fun.
And you laugh too!
April 1st.
It's a day of fun.
If you're really smart
You can play a trick on someone!
Or someone will come up to you
And he will say something.
And you will start:
"Oh no! Oh no!"
But they will look at you
Smile slyly.
And that's when
Their fun begins!
"There is no one to trust on April 1!" -shout,
And they will start laughing at you.
It's so fun,
That you are laughing too.
Learn English and not know english holidays? it nonsense, besides, it is short-sighted: once in Britain in August, it would be a shame not to see the largest carnival in Europe, in November - stunning fireworks of Guy Fawkes Night, in June - the celebration of the Queen's official birthday.
And by congratulating your British colleague on the holiday, you will not only please him (or her), but also strengthen your professional relationship. But enough about business ("Work done, have your fun"): today we are talking about how the British spend their free time from work, namely - about the holidays!
The English word holiday comes from the phrase "holy day", "holy day", which in the past was dedicated to worship. In our time, there are both religious and secular holidays.
In addition, there are a number of weird holidays, weird holidays - one or more for every day of the year. For example, in the UK, Straw Bear Festival and Scarecrow Festival are held, Kissing Friday and Blessing of the Throats Day, Cheese Rolling Championships are held. ) and swim in a diving mask in a swamp (Bog Snorkelling Championships) - and the like.
So the holidays in the United Kingdom are many and varied. But unfortunately for the British, there are not so many official holidays (official holidays) (calendar of holidays for 2015):
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New Year's Day - New Year |
Public Holiday |
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Scotland |
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St Patrick's Day - St. Patrick's Day |
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Good Friday - Easter |
Public Holiday |
||
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monday |
Easter Monday - Monday of Easter week |
||
|
monday |
Early May Bank Holiday - Bank holiday in early May |
Public Holiday |
|
|
monday |
Spring Bank Holiday - Spring Bank Holiday |
Public Holiday |
|
|
monday |
Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen "s Day) (Substitute Day) - |
Northern Ireland |
|
|
monday |
Scotland |
||
|
monday |
Summer Bank Holiday - Summer Bank Holiday |
Public holiday (except Scotland) |
|
|
monday |
St. Andrew "s Day - St. Andrew's Day |
Scotland |
|
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Christmas Day - Christmas |
Public Holiday |
||
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Boxing Day - Boxing Day |
Public Holiday |
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|
monday |
Boxing Day (Substitute Day) - Boxing Day |
Public Holiday |
As you can see from the table, not all holidays in England, Ireland and Scotland are the same.But each of the members of the Commonwealth can boast of a number of their own "holy days." In our article, we present a list of the most basic and popular holidays in the United Kingdom, from January to December.
January
1 - New Year's Day
On the night of December 31 to January 1, residents of the United Kingdom celebrate the coming of the new year. This holiday is traditionally celebrated with family and friends, greeting the first minutes of the new year with an old song ‘Auld lang syne’ to the words of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. The party can go on well after midnight, until the very beginning of the new year. It is customary to give yourself New Year’s resolutions, for example, to achieve a goal or quit a bad habit.
In Scotland, New Years are celebrated as Hogmanay [ˌhɔɡməˈneː].
January 25 - Burns' Night
On Burns Night, many Scots have a special dinner in honor of Robert Burns, with the reading of poetry by this poet. Men can put on a kilt, bagpipes sound, and almost always on the table is haggis (traditional Scottish pudding made from mutton entrails: heart, liver and lungs) with turnips (neeps - turnips) and potatoes (tatties - potatoes).
January 31 - Chinese New Year
Outside of Asia, London has the most lavish New Years celebration. Chinatown (West End) hosts a parade with music, acrobats and dancers, as well as a food fair and fireworks. But the holiday is not limited to this: celebrations are held throughout the country. Lush street parades are staged in other cities, including Manchester, Nottingham, Liverpool and Birmingham.
February
January 14 - Valentine's Day
Love is in the air! The historic Valentine's Day is now a celebration of love. Many residents of the United Kingdom dine in restaurants with their sweethearts, give them Valentine's cards, chocolates, sweets. If you are single, you can get an anonymous valentine from your secret admirer!
March
Shrove Tuesday or "Pancake Day"
Lent (Lent) is a traditional Christian period of abstinence, lasting 40 days. Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday) is the day before the start of fasting, Ash Wednesday, when housewives prepare hearty meals with lots of eggs, milk and sugar.
Nowadays, even non-religious people cook and eat pancakes on this day. Pancakes in England are made thin (unlike American ones) and are most often served with lemon and sugar or with corn syrup (golden syrup).
Some towns in the UK also host pancake races, where participants try to run a distance with a frying pan in their hands, tossing a pancake on the run. One of the most famous races is held in Olney, Buckinghamshire, where the first "pancake race" is believed to have taken place back in 1445.
"Ash Wednesday" - the exact date is set according to the solar and lunar calendars
Christian holiday marking the beginning of Lent (Lent).
March 8 - International Women’s Day
On International Women's Day, very popular in the UK and Europe, it is customary to honor all women, and sometimes - to give small gifts (for example, flowers) to the fair sex.
Mother's Day / Mothering Sunday
Mother's Day in England is almost always celebrated in March, three weeks before Easter Sunday. On this day, mothers are honored and thanked for everything they do for us.It is customary to give mothers postcards, gifts, invite them to a restaurant or prepare a festive dinner for them.
March 17 - St. Patrick's Day - North. Ireland
St. Patrick's Day is a national holiday in Ireland, revered by all Irish communities around the world. In the UK, this day is marked by festive events in many cities including Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester and London, as well as Belfast.
Crowds take to the streets wearing green clothing or adorned with the symbol of the three-leaf clover (shamrock), which is believed to bring good luck.
April
April 1 - April Fool's Day
One day a year is possible - and even necessary! - "joke jokes" and arrange pranks (to play a prank / practical joke / trick on smb.).
Even in newspapers, on television and radio on April 1st, comic news is often published and broadcast. The rally is accompanied by the exclamation "April fool!" (so called the one who "comes across"). At noon, however, the time for jokes ends.
Palm Sunday
Christian holiday marking the beginning of Holy Week.
Maundy Thursday
Thursday of Holy Week, Christian celebration of the Last Supper.
Good Friday
Christian holiday commemorating the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Easter Sunday - the exact date is set according to the solar and lunar calendars
In the Christian calendar, Easter is the most important holiday of the year. It was installed in honor of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
People celebrate Easter in different ways, but many give each other chocolate eggs and bake Easter buns with a cross(hot cross buns).
April 23 - St George's Day
Legend has it that Saint George was a Roman soldier who killed a dragon to save the princess. He is now the patron saint of England, and April 23 is England's national holiday. St. George's Cross can be seen on the flag of England (red cross on white background).
Also on April 23rd, William Shakespeare was born. AND the best place this day is undoubtedly the hometown of the great writer, Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, where a festival dedicated to the day is held. In 2014, the celebration was particularly lavish as it marked the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth.
May
May 1 - May Day
May 1st welcomes the arrival of summer.And although summer officially begins only in June, on the first day of May, they celebrate the end of cold weather and hope for a mild summer. The tradition of the celebration includes dancing around the maypole.
May 5 and 26 - bank holidays
Two Mondays in May are considered days off. The British can skip work or school and, if they're lucky, spend the day in nature enjoying the first spring sun.
June
June 14th - The Queen's Official Birthday
Despite the fact that the real birthday is celebrated on April 21st, according to a tradition dating back to 1748, the birthdays of the king or queen are celebrated in June.
On this day, a traditional military parade called Trooping the Color is held in London, which the Queen herself takes, surrounded by her family members.
3rd Sunday in June - Father's day
Fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, father-in-law and mother-in-law are honored on this Day.Many Britons give their older male relatives a postcard or a present, arrange a dinner or a trip to a restaurant.
July
Uraza Bayram (Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr)
Marking the end of the Ramadan fast (month-long), the holiday of Uraza Bayram is widely celebrated by the Muslim communities of Great Britain. Typically, each community organizes its own celebrations, but cities such as London and Birmingham host larger celebrations.
August
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The world's largest arts festival, The Fringe has thousands of performances and performances across 250 theater venues. Any theater, comedy, music or dance performance can take part in the festival, and many theater students come to Edinburgh at this time to stage their first performances of their own.
August 25 - Notting Hill Carnival
Held in West London on a bank weekend this carnival is Europe's largest street party. Around 1 million people come to admire the colorful carnival platforms, dancers in brightly spectacular costumes, hear the sounds of salsa and reggae and enjoy Caribbean cuisine from street stalls. Take a festive mood with you, grab enough cash and be patient - the carnival is pretty crowded.
September
London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week(in 2014 it took place from 12 to 16 September) sets fashion guidelines- along with similar weeks in Paris, Milan and New York. This event is intended for professionals in the fashion industry, but anyone can purchase tickets for the Fashion Weekend, where they can feel the spirit of fashion shows. Two fashion weeks are held annually in London, the first of which takes place in February.
October
October 23 - Diwali
Diwali (or Deepavali) - Festival of Lights celebrated by Hindu, Sikh and Jain religious communities.
Leicester (home to the largest Diwali celebrations outside India), London and Nottingham host vibrant street performances serving traditional Indian food. Indian music sounds, traditional Indian dances are performed. And of course, the streets are lit with a variety of lamps, lanterns, candles and fireworks.
October 31 - Halloween
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Probably, it would be difficult to find a person who would never make fun of his family and friends on April Fool's Day ( Fool's Day) - April 1. And who of us has never been led to the April Fools' rally?
The history of the origin of the holiday
The history of the origin of the holiday is not known for certain. However, there are many assumptions and theories about this. And here are the most common ones:
In the Middle Ages, in almost all of Europe, New Year ( New Year's Day) was celebrated on March 25 - on the Annunciation ( Lady day). And the eighth day after this church holiday was just April 1. It so happened historically that by this day people were in high spirits and were not averse to joking. As for the place of origin of the holiday, it could be France. It was in this country in 1564 that a decree was adopted, according to which the celebration of the New Year was postponed to January 1. But the news didn't travel as quickly as it does now. And many people unknowingly continued to celebrate the New Year at the end of March. And the more advanced and knowledgeable about the postponement of the celebration to January made fun of the "ignorant" who continued to rejoice in the new year in March.
However, Fool's Day may have started much earlier than the 16th century. In his "Canterbury Tales" (" The canterbury tales”), Written in 1392 by Geoffrey Chaucer ( Geoffrey chaucer) makes a reference to March 32. This occurs in the "Tale of the Monastic Chaplain" (" Nun "s Priest" s Tale”), Where a vain rooster was fooled by a fox.
April Fools' Day traditions
Nevertheless, whatever the history of the holiday, wherever it originated, April Fools' Day is the property of all countries and peoples. After all, he is loved and celebrated in his own way from New Zealand to Canada.
- In Great Britain it is customary to call the "April Fool" ( April fool) of the one who is led to a joke or a practical joke. But usually this nickname stops finding its addressee at noon. The one who continues to play the interlocutors even after 12 noon becomes a "fool" himself.
- In Italy, France, Belgium, as well as the French-speaking regions of Canada and Switzerland, there is such a tradition as the "April fish" ( April fish). Its essence is to stick a fish cut out of paper to a person's back so that he does not notice it. This "April fish" was often featured on greeting cards for April 1 in the 20th century.
- And, of course, no modern April Fools' Day is complete without information rallies on television, radio or in the press. I would like to cite the most memorable ones:
- April 1, 1995 magazine Discovery published an article that talked about the shellless worms that live in Antarctica. Their body temperature in the head area was supposedly so high that they could melt ice! Moreover, these worms ate exclusively on penguins!
- April 1, 1957 the company BBC announced that Swiss scientists have achieved unprecedented heights in the field of selection - they have managed to harvest pasta! And in support of their words, the TV company showed the corresponding video.
- April 1, 1998 Express cafe chain Burger king advertised in USA Today about creating a revolutionary hamburger for left-handers! It was argued that the taste of the new hamburger did not differ from the old one, because all the ingredients remained the same. But now they have been flipped 180 degrees for the comfort of lefties!
- April 1, 2008 Air force told the news that penguins have learned to fly! The cause of this miracle of evolution was global warming. An unusual flock was discovered by operators filming them for several days. Terry Jones, director of the group, said that when the weather suddenly changed, the birds did what they had not tried to do before - flapped their wings and rushed into the sky!
- On April 1, 1962, a technical specialist at the only Swiss television channel announced a revolutionary technology: now viewers can forget about black and white television, which at that time had no alternative. To do this, you only had to pull a nylon stocking over the screen, and then the image automatically became colored!
- April 1, 2002 American supermarket chain Tesco reported the creation of a genetically modified "whistle" carrot. There were now holes on the sides of this vegetable. Now, when the carrots reached readiness, the owner was informed about this by the whistle made by the vegetable itself!
- On April 1, 1915, at the height of the First World War, a French plane flew over the German camp and, as it seemed to the soldiers, dropped a bomb. However, instead of her, a ball fell to the ground with the inscription "From April 1!"
In addition to all the jokes listed above, I offer a link to a video about innocent (and not so) jokes with which you can amuse yourself and your loved ones on April 1st!
This is how it is on April 1st: unpredictable, ridiculous and, of course, funny! And do not follow the saying “I don’t believe anyone on April 1!”. Believe, joke and laugh at others and yourself. After all, laughter not only prolongs life!
- Do not forget to read the article "" by our teacher Marina. In it you will find the most detailed list of useful phrases about smiles, laughter and more.
Do you know that...
- Laughter boosts immunity and helps to resist various ailments. This is exactly what scientists at Harvard University think.
- Laughter therapy is very popular in tuberculosis hospitals in Japan because laughter is great for ventilating the lungs.
- In Malaysia, students are taught breathing exercises that simulate laughter. They help to overcome anxiety before the exam, and therefore are so popular among young people.
- In 80-90% of cases, laughter is caused by phrases that do not contain anything funny.
- English physician William Osler argued that a person who laughs 17 minutes a day prolongs his life by a year!
So laugh heartily!
P.S. By the way, have you heard that Big Ben's mechanical watches will be replaced with electronic ones ?!
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