April Fool’s Day is a holiday that lands on April 1 consisting of jokes and hoaxes. It has been celebrated throughout many cultures for centuries, even though nobody truly knows its origin. These pranks have gone through different times, as in the beginning it was simple jokes, but in modern day they have moved to different mass mediums. According to history.com, April Fools’ Day traditions include playing hoaxes or practical jokes on others, often yelling “April Fools!” at the end to clue in the subject of the April Fools’ Day prank. Some historians believe that April Fool’s Day goes back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. In the Julian calendar, the year started with the Spring equinox around April 1. The people who failed to realize that the new year didn’t start on April 1 anymore were called “April Fools.” April Fools’ Day was also spread out by Britain in the 18th century. History.com also mentioned, “the tradition became a two-day event, starting with “hunting the gowk,” in which people were sent on phony errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which involved pranks played on people’s derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or “kick me” signs on them.”

Now in modern day, the holiday has spread to newspapers, radio, TV stations, and social media. Many celebrities or influencers have partaken in the holiday, by putting out false information on their social media and then saying it was a joke the following day. Other famous brands like Taco Bell and Sports Illustrated have partaken in jokes throughout the past years. This year, Sour Patch Kids are celebrating the holiday with a “Sour Patch Prank Fund” where they are rewarding fans with money and prizes based on their pranks. According to prnewswire.com, starting March 27, fans across America are invited to share a video of their prank on TikTok for the chance to win cash and candy.While there are some absolute “do not dos” of April 1, such as faking a pregnancy or death – there are also all the classic pranks pulled every year, like toilet paper on a house or replacing sugar with salt. As the world has just continued this tradition for years, it doesn’t seem like it will be stopping anytime. April Fool’s Day is always a day to continue with extra caution and to have an excuse to play a fun prank on all of your friends.