Did you think that English aplomb made English people too serious? Think again!
Many people still sort of celebrate it nowadays by playing pranks or practical jokes on friends and family, but some of these pranks really made the news over the years.
I have read some articles and collected some of the best April 1st pranks of all times.
For instance, I came to learn that well-known, and normally dead serious, BBC channel loves April Fool's tradition.
#1: The astronomical April Fools' Day
In 1976, none other than BBC Radio announced that due to a particular alignment of the planets, the gravity of planet Earth would decrease.
The inventor of the joke was a friendly astronomer, and the stunt was a resounding success.
The network got flooded with phone calls from enthusiastic listeners who said they had already felt the effects of the planets.
The power of suggestion I guess.
#2: Alien April Fools' Day
In 1989, billionaire Richard Branson built a flying saucer-shaped hot air balloon with an actor dressed as ET on board.
Strobe lights were attached to the balloon and it was hovered in the sky in the early hours of the day. It was spotted from the motorway just outside London, and the outcry was such that even the army intervened.
When the balloon landed and the fake ET came out, obviously in a cloud of steam, the crowd almost gasped.
Mr. Branson was almost arrested by the policemen present, who did not have a great sense of humor.
#3: Spaghetti April Fool's Day
In 1957, the BBC also broadcast a film in which a happy family of “spaghetti farmers” could be seen during the harvest.
Mom, Dad and children were harvesting :ripe spaghetti” from their spaghetti plants.
The joke ended with the instructions to have your own spaghetti maker at home: just put the spaghetti in a tomato can and good luck.
The prank worked because apparently spaghetti were still relatively unknown in England or not so common as they are now.
I haven’t heard of any special announcement pranks this year perhaps because these years have been tough on us all or maybe because nowadays there are so many fake news going around and regulations about them that it wouldn’t be as fun or legal to do so anymore.
Some say the day is linked to spring festivals such as the medieval feasts or Hilaria (Latin for 'joyful') which was celebrated in ancient Rome at the end of March.
Others say that is linked to the Indian Holi celebration in this same period, a very colorful and joyful festivity.
Apparently the day has its own etiquette: jokes would only be permitted until the clock strikes noon, and people would need to reveal their true colors after that.
Anyone playing a joke after midday would be indeed considered the actual April fool.
Some prank toys are still sold here in England in some specialty gadget shops.
I recall playing with these when I was a child back in Italy.
I found some here in London (in this city you can really find it all), such as the smelly vials, the itchy powder, the gadget you hold in your hand that gives a little shock-wave, the little tablets that you put in water and that turn into worms, the chewing-gums with the spring that snaps on your hands and so on.
It is important to have a good laugh, we all need one, but it is important to stay safe and respect everyone.
