CorpComms Magazine

So is this April Fools Day really a traditional event from the old days, or is this all a big wind-up?

Well, apparently not. Many cultures have observed the day for centuries. And since 1700, the English have celebrated it year-on-year by playing practical jokes on each other, and fooling others into believing their tales.

And sorry am I missing something, why do we celebrate it again?

Some historians believe that the tradition dates back as far as 1582, when the French calendar changed from the Julian to the Gregorian. Some, the fools, were slow off the mark, and continued to celebrate New Year's on the wrong date: on 1 April rather than 1 January.

OK, so the fools, what happened to them?

The most renowned prank was to place paper fish on the fool's backs, calling them the 'poissons d'avril', or April fish to me and you.

What does fish have to do with anything?!

The fish was meant to represent a young fish that was easy to catch, which they associated with a naive and easily fooled person.

It seems hard to believe that people are still fooled these days.

You would be surprised. In 1957 none other than the BBC did their own April Fools gag, reporting a record harvest of spaghetti for the Swiss, and even went so far as to provide footage of noodle trees.

Blimey so I better be more aware in future!

Careful, a new report says awareness can give you cellulite.

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