Fooling Around

All Fools’ Day, also known as April Fools’ Day – 1^st April

The odd thing is that no one is quite sure of the origin of this very British tradition. Most attribute it to changes in Britain’s calendar in the 1700s, when New Year’s Day moved from March 25^th to January 1^st. Not surprisingly, the change caused a lot of confusion and mistakes around the start of April.

Others look further back, to the ancient Roman feast of Hilaria, when the goddess Cybele was celebrated with pranks and jokes around the spring equinox, March 25^th.

Either way a touch of hilarity at the end of Lent does not seem amiss. Go to Greece, where the resurrection of Jesus is celebrated with fireworks and parties to see how it might work!