Do you really know “April Fool’s Day”? Take you to the history of the real April Fool’s Day culture

When it comes to April Fool’s Day, we must all understand. But what do you really know about this modern carnival culture that originated in France and then became popular all over the world? This article will explain.It is widely believed that April Fool’s Day originated in France. In 1564, France first adopted the new reform of the calendar – Gregorian calendar (that is, the general Gregorian calendar), with January 1 as the beginning of the year, changed the past to April 1 as the beginning of the New Year calendar. During the implementation of the new calendar, some traditionalists opposed the reform and continued to follow the old calendar and refused to change. They still exchange gifts and organize New Year’s celebrations on April 1. The reformers made a mockery of the old guard. Clever and funny people give fake gifts to the diehards on the first of April, invite them to fake celebrations, and call these fooled people “April fools” or “bait fish.” Since then, the French people on this day to fool each other, over time became a popular custom. The festival gradually spread throughout Europe in the 18th century, and was later brought to the United States by early European immigrants, and then gradually became popular around the world.

The above are well-known knowledge about April Fool’s Day, the next will show you the history of the actual April Fool’s Day culture. April Fool’s Day is not a definite concept. In its broadest sense, April Fool’s Day encompasses all religious and secular celebrations in the early Christian world of Western Europe. The original April Fool’s Day originated in France in the Middle Ages. Under the theocratic society of Western Europe in the Middle Ages, April Fool’s Day was not only a game to provide entertainment, but also a strong religious color. It is a common cultural bond between the upper and lower levels of society. Similar to the Olympic Games and similar religious festivals held by ancient Greeks (Greek citizens often participated in religious festivals held by city-states), it can objectively enhance the cohesion of social groups. The April Fools’ Day ceremony was attended by Christians, many of them with a redemption-themed spirit, some with a game of Doom, reflecting a period of religious anxiety in Europe (the crusade was motivated by fear of the rise of the Turkic (Muslim) people) that has since faded.

April Fool’s Day is not just an event for the general public. Although it may be held by lowly priests, it includes supporters and participants of all social classes, ages, genders, and all religious and secular forces. The whole audience of April Fool’s Day is the participant, women and children may become the nominal leader, April Fool’s Day carnival games through special religious rituals and social management functions to bring everyone together. “Women bishops” or “child bishops” are sometimes elected, and April Fool’s Day games are played almost everywhere through parades and other rituals, which in part explains why April Fool’s Day has such a strong social base. The spirit of April Fool’s Day permeates the whole French society. The upper classes of society often fund April Fool’s Day activities and sometimes play an important role in the game. In some places, all priests are required to participate in the festival, and some forces even unite to protest against the ban on April Fool’s Day (which some religious forces consider absurd).

In a “solemn and proper” donkey Day ceremony described in a medieval document, the donkey was draped in a cloth of gold, and four members of the church council “proudly” held the corners of the cloth and led the donkey through the dense crowd in a “solemn ceremony.” And the more people laugh, the more pious the ceremony. There is also a record of priests dressed in strange clothes, playing with the people in the market, banging POTS and pans in front of the church and making a scene. Priests may also beat each other and even fight lay people. Most feasts were held in public restaurants before being asked to host them in a church member’s home. These descriptions of the relationship between revelry and belief are typical and of great value to the study of Western cultural history in the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages of Europe where theocracy ruled people’s thoughts, under the authority of the church, the faith ceremony was the fundamental basis of the legal existence of April Fool’s Day, and this belief must be Christian. To the critics and supporters of April Fool’s Day, they belong to the same Christian, but different denominations of the Christian faith.

Why should April Fool’s Day use the way of carnival games, rather than with a really serious ceremony to show? This is because the ceremony of April Fool’s Day contains many levels of symbolism. April Fool’s Day is basically a ritual to strengthen faith, but also to seek religious protection. Although the popularity of Christianity has lasted for nearly a thousand years, for various reasons, folk beliefs derived from earlier times remain deeply rooted and integrated with the Christian faith. It is not only the common people who have this mixed cultural background, but also the vast majority of the clergy, especially the local priests. On the other hand, the Middle Ages was a pretty tough time. The popular culture of medieval France was essentially a system seeking survival in a world full of dangers. In the face of these known and unknown dangers (famine, death, hunger, war, and all kinds of evil witchcraft), neither the church nor the state could effectively eradicate them. As with many primitive tribes, in the face of mysterious and unknown forces, rituals bordering on madness were the most direct and effective way to banish fear. April Fool’s Day with a strong religious flavor of ritual activities, for all members to seek supernatural mysterious force protection at the same time, but also gather all members to face the real threat. Those with obvious religious and witchcraft ritual colors of April Fool’s Day game ceremonies, at the same time has the important function of summoning ghosts and gods, praying for blessings, ensuring fertility and other aspects.