A little history lesson & cultural tidbit for today.
Ancient cultures celebrated New Year’s Day on April 1. It closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or March 21st.)
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian Calendar) to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called for New Year’s Day to be celebrated Jan. 1.
In France, however, many people either refused to accept the new date, or did not learn about it, and continued to celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1.
Other people began to make fun of these traditionalists, sending them on “fool’s errands” or trying to trick them into believing something false.
The French came to call April 1 Poisson d’Avril, or “April Fish.” French children sometimes tape a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates, crying “Poisson d’Avril” when the prank is discovered.
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