Why are people allowed to lie on April Fool's Day?

April 1st of every year is known as April Fools' Day or April Fools' Day; why are people allowed to lie on this day without being criticized?

Every year, on April Fool's Day, people play pranks on each other with made-up stories, pranks and harmless lies to bring laughter.

Why is it okay to lie on April Fools' Day?

France is considered the birthplace of April Fools' Day. The exact origin of this day is still a mystery, but there are some theories. Many people believe that April 1st becoming a day of lies is related to the change of the New Year's calendar in this country in the 16th century. Accordingly, in ancient times in France, the festival season usually took place on the first day of April and people also considered this as the first day of the new year.

In 1582, Emperor Charles IX ordered the French New Year to be moved to January 1. However, because at that time people mainly sent messages on foot (only urgent national news was sent by horse), at first, the information about changing the New Year's calendar was not known to many people, so the New Year was still celebrated on April 1.

Some others knew but still followed the old custom. This stubbornness was ridiculed by progressives, who considered them silly and the butt of jokes. This day was also considered a symbol of misinformation, so many humorously called it April Fool's Day. From that, the name April Fool's Day or "April Fool's Day" appeared.

Over time, April Fools' Day and its associated pranks spread throughout France and then to England and Scotland. Gradually, the French and English brought the April Fools' Day tradition to their North American colonies. From there, April Fools' Day became popular and accepted in many cultures around the world .

Until now, April Fool's Day is still recognized as a special holiday of the year in many countries such as Poland, Scotland, and Iran.

Another hypothesis about the origin of April Fool's Day suggests that the concept of "poission d'avril" - April Fool's Day was first mentioned by the poet d'Amerval.

He called it that because April is the month of Pisces, with the symbol of two fish entwined together. This is also the time when fish living in temperate regions are most vulnerable to being caught because they move alone. Therefore, April Fools' Day has become a concept that refers to foolishness, stupidity, and being easily fooled.

On April Fools' Day, people freely play pranks on each other with lies and are happily accepted as long as they do not go too far and do not affect anyone. The owners of the lies also feel more secure because they will not be angry or punished.

Why are we allowed to lie on April Fools' Day? (Illustration: Istock)

Another story about the origin of April Fool's Day

According to another theory, the April Fools' Day tradition originated in an ancient European village. The people there were known to be polite but loved to play pranks by telling lies or tricks. Even dignitaries liked to play pranks by telling lies.

One year in March, the weather was erratic, so farming was not favorable. Suddenly, one morning, everyone woke up in shock because the trees on both sides of the road had been cut down. The villagers gathered to discuss who had cut down the trees and why.

At this time, the dignitaries announced that the trees would be cut down to replace the rotten and dying ones with healthy and extremely rare ones. However, in reality, they only brought small, cheap trees.

After being unable to bear this excessive joke, some villagers complained to the district. After reviewing the story, the district ruled that this joke had gone too far, affecting the lives of the villagers. After a serious review, the dignitaries pledged not to joke anymore. They discussed choosing a single day when everyone could freely joke with each other by telling lies.

Finally, everyone agreed to choose April 1st as "Fool's Day", the day when people are allowed to tease each other with small tricks.

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