ALL FOOLS' DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 77, 31 March 1928, Page 8

ALL FOOLS' DAY.

Few of us realise that All Fools' Day, April 1, may be a relic of some old heathen Celtic feast that was celebrated hundreds of years ago in Great Britain. We think of April fooling only as some nonsensical prank of childhood days. It seems certain that in some way or other April fooling is a relic of once universal festivities. They were held by the Celts in Great Britain and generally took place at the vernal equinox. This began on old New Year's Day, March 25, and continued till April 1. This view is supported by the fact that an exact counterpart of April fooling is found to have been an immemorial custom in India, There the festival of the spring equinox is termed the feast of Huli, the last day of which is March 31. On that day the chief amusement of the natives is the befooling of each other by sending their friends on fruitless errands. It has been suggested, however, that Kurope derived April fooling from France. This country was the first nation to adopt the revised calendar. In 1504 Charles IX. decreed that the Xew Year must begin on January 1. Those who disliked tho change are said to have been fair butts for wits, who found amusement by sending them mock presents and paying calls of pretended ceremony on April 1. In Scotland the custom is called "hunting the gowk," i.e., the cuckoo. April fools were April gowks, cuckoo being, as it is in most lands, a term of contempt. In striking contrast to this is the fact that in France the person befooled is called "poisson d' avril," i.e., April fish. This lias been explained by the association of ideas arising from the fact that in April the sun quits the zodiac sign of the fish. But a far more natural explanation would seem that the April fish would be a young one and therefore easily caught.

Sometimes, though infrequently in these days, tho opportunity is taken by persons with a primitive form of humour to carry out soni£ extensive hoax upon society. For example, in March, 1860, a vast multitude of people in London received through the post a card having the following inscription, with a seal marked by an inverted sixpence, thus having to superficial observation an official appearance: "Tower of London, — Admit the bearer and friend to view the annual ceremony of washing the White Lions on Sunday, April 1, 18(»0. Admitted only at the White Gate, It is particularly requested that no gratuities be given to the warders or their assistants." The trick was highly successful. Cabs were rattling about Tower Hill all that morning, vainly trying to discover the White Gate. Another historic hoax was effected in France, when Francis, Duke of Lorraine, and his wife were in captivity at Xantes. They effected their escape in consequence of the attempt being made on April 1. Disguised as peasants at au early hour they passed through the gates of the city. A woman, knowing who they were, ran to the guard to give notice to the sentry, "April Fool!" cried the soldier, thinking ho was being tricked, and all the guard to a man cried, "April Fool!" beginning with the sergeant in charge of the post. The Governor, to whom the story was told as a jest, conceived some suspicion and ordered the fact to be proved, but it was too late. The Duke and his wife got well away. April 1 had saved them. —A. W. MORTON,