The first day of April, once called All Fools’ Day, is a time for playing practical jokes and spreading hoaxes.  The exact origin of this day is uncertain but its historical roots are interesting.  One precursor to this day was the Roman festival of Hilaria.  It has been theorized that during the reign of Constantine a group of court jesters and fools told the Roman emperor they could do a better job of running the empire.  Amused, Constantine is said to have allowed a jester to be king for one day.  The jester passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day and the custom became an annual event.  The current thinking is that it began around 1582 in France with the reform of the calendar under Charles IX.  The Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year’s Day was moved from April 1 to January 1.  Communication traveled slowly in those days and some people were only informed of the change several years later.  Still others who were more rebellious refused to acknowledge the change and continued to celebrate on April 1.  These people were labeled “fools” by the general populace.  They were subject to ridicule, being sent on “fools’ errands”, given invitations to nonexistent parties, and had other practical jokes played upon them.  These pranks became known as a “Poisson d’Avril” or “April Fish” because a young naive fish is easily caught.  In addition, one common practice was to hook a paper fish on the back of someone as a joke.  The harassment spread elsewhere to Britain and Scotland in the 18th century and was introduced to the American colonies by the English and the French.  Because of this movement into other cultures, April Fools’ Day has taken on an international flavor with each country acknowledging it in its own way.  In Scotland, for instance, April Fools’ Day is devoted to spoofs involving the buttocks and as such is called “Taily Day”.  The butts of these jokes are known as April “Gowk”, another name for cuckoo bird.  The origins of the “Kick Me” sign can be traced back to the Scottish observance.  In England, jokes are played only in the morning.  Fools are called “gobs” and victims of jokes are called “noodles”.  It is considered bad luck to play a practical joke on someone after noon.  In Rome it is still referred to as “Roman Laughing Day”.  In Portugal many people throw flour at their friends.  At the Huli Festival in India people smear colors on one another celebrating the arrival of spring.  This custom of prank-playing continues on the first day of April to this day.  I have never been much of a practical joker so I have not gone out of my way to do anything “special” for April Fools’.  I have always tried to stay quiet on this day; I believe I shall follow the advice of our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln, who said:  “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”