A Day for Jokes
Posted on Apr 02, 2026 by Shari Van Baale
Yesterday was April Fools’ Day, a day known for playing pranks and jokes on others and often yelling “April Fools!” at the end.
Who can forget the April 1 a few years ago, when it was not only Easter Sunday, but there was a light snowfall early in the day. It seemed like a joke from Mother Nature. It doesn’t snow very often on Easter, known as a springtime holiday.
It seems like the tradition of April Fools’ Day has been around forever, but have you ever wondered how it got started?
According to History.com, “Some historians speculate that April Fools' Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar … In the Julian Calendar … the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called ‘April fools.’”
Wikipedia has many examples of days for jokes in other countries. “The custom
of setting aside a day for playing harmless pranks upon one's neighbor has been relatively common in the world historically.” Click here to read about how other countries celebrate the day.
Like many things, the origins are not certain, though there are a lot of theories. No matter how it began, April Fools’ Day is a day to be wary and watchful if you are not a prankster. It is easiest to fool people early in the day, before they realize that is April 1.
But now you can breathe a sigh of relief because it is April 2. You don’t have to worry about being fooled for another year, or at least being called an “April Fool.” Sure, someone can still play a joke on you, but the only day you will be called an “April Fool” is April 1.
Shari Van Baale
Salem Communications Coordinator