April Fools Day

Celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm around the world, the first day of April every year is marked as “April Fool’s Day,” also known as “All Fools’ Day.” Various interesting ideas and historical accounts related to April Fool’s Day are available in the English literature of the world. According to the most popular belief, in ancient times, Roman people celebrated the first day of April as the beginning of the new year, following the widely used Julian calendar. Similarly, in medieval Europe, March 25 and beyond were considered the beginning of the new year, and April 1st was celebrated as a festival in honor of the new year. Later, in 1852, the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, also known as the present-day English calendar, was announced by Pope Gregory VIII. According to this calendar, January was declared as the beginning of the new year.

Based on historical records, many people in several European nations did not initially accept the Gregorian calendar, and there were individuals who were not aware of such a change in the calendar. As a result, some people who celebrate the New Year on the first day of January according to the new Gregorian calendar still consider those who celebrate it on the first day of April according to the old Julian calendar to be foolish and traditionalist. Over time, the practice of celebrating April 1st as April Fools’ Day has spread worldwide, and it is said to have increased the prevalence of the tradition as a celebration of foolishness across cultures.

Especially among children and young adults, April Fool’s Day, also known as “Moorakh Diwas” in Nepali, has become increasingly popular for playing pranks, jokes, and satire among people of all classes and ethnicities. In Nepal too, the tradition of celebrating April Fool’s Day has come in recent years. On this day, people make their friends, family members, acquaintances, and colleagues fools or play pranks and jokes to make them laugh.

Developed countries such as Canada, the United States, Britain, Australia, and others, especially in Western countries, have seen an increasing trend of celebrating “April Fool’s Day” or “World Fool’s Day.” In recent years, the trend of celebrating “April Fool’s Day” among Nepali youth has grown as a borrowed cultural practice, and it has become quite popular in the country. However, this trend has also brought concerns about the spread of various social distortions and negative cultural practices.