APRIL FOOL'S DAY :


April Fool's Day or All Fools' Day, falls on April 1. It is so called from the custom of playing harmless practical jokes on people or sending them on some fruitless errand on this day. The origin of the name is unknown but in France the April fool is called poisson d'avril (April fish) and in Scotland a “gowk” or cuckoo. The custom has been observed in many countries for centuries—in India, similar tricks are played at the Holi Festival (March 31)—and it has been suggested that, when New Year fell on March 25, April 1 was the last day of the eight-day festivities which celebrated this important event in the calendar.
It is recorded that one particularly elaborate hoax took place in London in 1860 when several hundred important people received invitations to watch the ceremony of the Washing of the White Lions at the Tower of London. Admission would be by the White Gate said the invitation card. On the day, crowds of people made their way to the Tower only to find that there was neither a White Gate nor any white lions.
April Fool's Day customs are still observed by both children and adults in English-speaking countries and elsewhere. In recent years, most newspapers, television stations, and broadcastng services have run an “April Fool's” story to hoax their audience.