News
800April 1, 2017
Every country has its own unique traditions of pranks and celebrations.
Every April 1, April Fools’ Day is celebrated all over the world. The holiday has a centuries-old history but it is rather difficult to reliably track its origin. According to some versions, the tradition of April Fool’s pranks dates back to the pre-Christian era and is associated with Romans' honoring the God of Laughter, with the holiday of jokes in Ancient India celebrated on March 31, or with the customs of the ancient Irish.
According to another version, the holiday originated from the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in the middle of the XVI century. By this calendar, the beginning of a new year moved from March 25 to January 1. Those who continued to follow the ancient custom and greeted each other at the end of March, came to be called “April Fools” or “April Fish”, i.e. those who could be quite easily taken in and played pranks upon.
Every country has its own unique traditions of pranks and celebrations. In France, for instance, the main treat of the day is a fish-shaped cake, and children try to attach paper fish to each other’s back. In England, people make jokes only till noon. In Finland, Germany and Austria, people invent funny impossible tasks for friends. The holiday came to Ukraine presumably in the XVIII century and became popular among young people. In recent years, Ukraine’s cities tend to organize carnival processions and festivals of humor, the largest of which is Humoryna in Odesa.
What always remains unchanged is the atmosphere of fun, ease and companionship characteristic of the holiday. Doctors say that laughter prolongs life and boosts the immune system. So, let's laugh and impress our friends and family with witty jokes.
Originally posted at: univer.kharkov.ua
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