The history of April Fools’ Day and why we celebrate it

An ancient Roman festival and a fish? The theories surrounding April 1st are no joke.

Fact checked by Isaac Winter

April Fools' Day is a paradise for pranksters: taping over the sensor of a computer mouse, adding food coloring to milk, freezing cereal in the bowl – the ideas for pranks are endless. The only thing funnier than April Fools' Day is perhaps one of the longest-running jokes: to this day, no one is sure why we celebrate April Fools' Day. Here are a few common theories and some background on this mischievous holiday.

Related topics: The history of Valentine's Day and why we celebrate it

When is April 1st?

Before we get into the history of April Fools' Day, it's important to know when we celebrate it. April Fools' Day always falls on the first day of April. April Fools' Day 2024 is a Monday – so we can add a little extra frivolity to the start of the week. For die-hard pranksters who are already thinking ahead, in 2025 it falls on a Tuesday.

Where does April Fools’ joke come from?

Historians have several theories about the origin of April Fools' Day, but it is clear that the tradition of playing pranks is centuries old.

One possible explanation for the holiday is an ancient Roman festival called Hilariawhich was celebrated in early April. Hilaria demanded all kinds of entertainment and games – including masquerades and imitations.

Others believe it dates back to 16th century France, when they switched from the Julian calendar – which had the New Year begin in March – to the Gregorian calendar. It is believed that this was to tease people who still celebrated the New Year in spring.

In France, someone who is tricked on April 1st is called a poisson d'avril – or “April fish”. The term first appears in a poem from 1508. It comes from the fact that fish were easier to catch in spring and therefore more “gullible” than at any other time of year.

The origins of April Fools' Day are so obscure that a Boston University professor, Joseph Boskin, once fooled the Associated Press with his own story about the origin of the holiday. This hoax dated April Fools' Day to the Roman Empire under Constantine, when a fictitious fool named Kugel (inspired by the Jewish pasta dish) was made king for a day.

The first clear reference to April Fools' Day is found in a 1561 Flemish poem by Eduard de Dene. The poem tells of a nobleman who sends his servant on fruitless errands. The servant realizes that because it is April Fools' Day, he is being sent on fools' errands. (Sending someone to find a nonexistent object or person is still a popular prank, so if you're thinking about how to fool friends and family this year, look no further.)

How do people around the world celebrate April Fool’s Day?

A new tradition is for companies and news media to invent imaginative hoax stories. For example, the BBC started with a 1950s story about people harvesting a bumper crop of spaghetti from trees. Some notable branded examples: In 2015, Google flipped the script (literally) by displaying search results as a mirror image. In 2017, Duolingo announced a new course to help you “speak emoji.” (Something that would be great for your grandparents and parents, right?) And in 2022, 7-Eleven announced a “tiny sip” that looks like it's the perfect size for Barbie.

But in many countries there are traditions surrounding April Fools' Day, playing pranks. Here are some of our favorites:

France and Italy The French tradition of the “April fish” is still alive there and in Italy, where it is called “pesce d'aprile.” To celebrate, paper fish are glued to the backs of unsuspecting people and some bakeries serve fish-shaped treats. (Perhaps a perfect excuse to bake some fish-shaped cookies?)

Scotland The Scots apparently dedicate two whole days to fun and pranks. April 1st is called “Huntigowk” (also known as “Cuckoo Hunting”), where you try to send your cuckoo on a pointless errand or otherwise trick it. Tailie Day on April 2nd is more akin to the “April Fish” tradition, where the Scots try to secretly attach a tail or even a “Kick Me” sign to the back of an unsuspecting victim.

Brazil Brazilian traditions are similar to ours, but the day has a different name: Dia Das Mentiras, also known as the Day of Lies.

Greece Could a prank bring good luck? In Greece, it is believed that if you successfully pull a prank on April 1st, you will have a successful year.

What are some funny April Fools’ pranks?

April Fools' Day is all about pranks, and the best way to celebrate is to pull one yourself. Just be safe and make sure your pranks don't hurt anyone.

• If you have children in the house, stuff tissues into the toes of their shoes and try to convince them that their feet grew overnight.

• Disguise your dessert as dinner with this pound cake that looks like a grilled cheese sandwich.

• Put a bowl of cereal in the freezer overnight and watch your child try to eat it frozen.

• Replace the water in the opaque water bottle with Sprite, sparkling water, or another fun drink.

• Add a few drops of food coloring to a milk or fruit juice container and serve a strangely colored drink for breakfast.

• Rearrange furniture in a room or items in a closet.

• Ask a family member or roommate to find an item that you know is not yours.

• Chill gelatin in a glass with a straw in it and serve it as an inedible drink with dinner.

• Put your printer to work and swap out the family photos in your house for fun ones. Maybe you want pictures of you and your buddy Homer and Marge Simpson or a cast photo of The office for your family. See how long it takes for your family to notice the difference. (One guy swapped his parents' Jesus portrait for pictures of Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi – and it went unnoticed for months.)

• Put googly eyes on the food packaging in your refrigerator, pantry, and your family's lunch boxes – even on fruits like oranges or bananas.

• Bombard them with balloons. Fill a small area they're likely to open – a pantry door, the refrigerator, their car, their closet – with balloons and rain them down on them when they open.

• Rick Roll them. Send your loved ones a link (say it's a recipe, a cool concert happening soon, or whatever catches their attention). But make a link to Rick Astley's classic “Never Gonna Give You Up.” (We've created a nice, short, unobtrusive tinyurl for you here: https://tinyurl.com/3e8br5j7.)

• If you have a smart home device like Alexa or Google Nest, you can get into all sorts of trouble! Try setting up routines where the lights turn on and off for minutes at a time, random music (or even fart noises!) play for no apparent reason, or set the device to speak much slower or faster than usual.

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