Overview

• April Fools' Day, celebrated annually on April 1st, is a global tradition marked by pranks and hoaxes across cultures and communities.
• The origins of the day are debated, with theories linking it to the 16th-century Gregorian calendar reform and medieval European renewal festivals.
• France's 'Poisson d’Avril' tradition, involving paper fish pranks, highlights the unique cultural variations of the celebration.
• The tradition spread across Europe and to America by the 18th and 19th centuries, evolving into a widely recognized occasion for harmless mischief.
• The day serves as a reminder to critically evaluate information, especially in the fast-paced, information-saturated digital era.