While there are similar holidays in ancient Rome and Britain, the eldest – and tidiest – historical reference comes in a Flemish poem from 1561 in which a nobleman sends his servant on “fool’s errands” on April 1, according to a history of the holiday written by Stephen Winick of the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center.
Roughly the same era in France, people slow to adopt the change of calendar from the last week of March to January 1 – due to the move from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, decreed in the Council of Trent – were called “April fools,” and were played tricks on, according to History.com.
The Catholic Church also may have had a hand in bringing April Fools’ Day to the fore earlier in history. A carnival-like “Feast of Fools,” originally held in medieval France and England on Jan. 1, was practiced but was banned by the 15th century, folklorist Jack Santino told The Washington Post. But the holiday continued for hundreds of years, said Santino, who wrote the book “All Around the Year: Holidays and Celebrations in American Life.”
By the 19th century, April Fools’ Day had become a mainstay of American culture. “The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year,” Mark Twain is credited with saying, according to the Encyclopedia of American Folklore.
Taken from USA Today article
