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不是所有的节日都有一个渊源，愚人节的真实历史就无从考证，可这并不会影响人们在每年的4月1日开个玩笑或是互相捉弄。除了这个最典型的活动，愚人节时，西方国家的人们还常常组织家庭聚会，做鱼宴，做假菜。
Unlike most of the other nonfoolish holidays, the history of April Fool’s Day, sometimes called All Fool’s Day, is not totally clear. There really wasn’t a “First April Fool’s Day” that can be pinpointed1 on the calendar. Some believe it sort of evolved2 simultaneously in several cultures at the same time, from celebrations involving the first day of spring.
The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1564, in France. Prior to that year, the new year was celebrated for eight days, beginning just after the first day of spring. The celebration typically ended in April. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year’s Day was moved to January.
However, communications being what they were in the days when news traveled by foot, many people did not receive the news for several years. Others, the more obstinate3 crowd, refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the new year in April. These backward folk were labeled as “fools” by the general populace4. They were subjects to some ridicule5, and were often sent on “fools errands6” or were made the butt7 of other practical jokes.
This harassment8 evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank9-playing on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the English and French. April Fool’s Day thus developed into an international fun festival, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own brand of humor at the expense of their friends and families.
Practical jokes are a common practice on April Fool’s Day. Sometimes, elaborate10 practical jokes that last the entire day are played on friends or relatives. The news media even gets involved. For instance, a British short film once shown on April Fool’s Day was a fairly detailed documentary about “spaghetti11 farmers” and how they harvest their crop from the spaghetti trees.
April Fool’s Day is a “for-fun-only” observance12. Nobody needs to buy gifts or to take their “significant other” out to eat in a fancy restaurant. Nobody gets off work or school. It’s simply a fun little holiday, but a holiday on which one must remain forever vigilant13, for he may be the next April Fool!
不同于大多数的节日，愚人节有时被称为所有愚人的节日， 它的由来无从考证。没有人能够在日历上标明第一个愚人节是什么时候。一些人认为它是同时由几种文化演变而来， 是从庆祝春天的第一天开始的。
这个传统的历史最早可以追溯到1564 年的法国。在那一年以前，从春天的第一天开始，人们有八天的时间庆祝新年，庆祝活动通常在4月结束。查理九世在位期间，对历法进行了改革，引进了罗马教皇格列高利的历法，并且将新年的第一天移至1月 1日。
然而，在通讯还靠徒步进行传递的年代里，许多人要等上几年才能收到消息。其他顽固守旧的人拒绝接受新历法，并且沿用在4月1日庆祝新年的传统，这些守旧的人被其他平民称为“笨蛋”，他们受到嘲笑，经常被派去做只有笨蛋才做的差事，或者成为被捉弄的对象。
这种折磨随着时代变迁慢慢演变成在4月的第一天搞恶作剧的传统。这种传统在18世纪传播到英格兰和苏格兰。后来又传播到英国和法国在美洲的殖民地。愚人节就这样发展成为一个国际性的趣味节日。 可以说，不同国家的人们创造了自己独有的幽默，而他们的朋友和家人就成了实验对象。
恶作剧是人们在愚人节常做的事。有时， 精心策划的恶作剧会在朋友或亲戚中持续一天，甚至新闻媒体也参与进来。例如， 在愚人节曾经放映过一部英国短片，它是一部内容非常详细的纪录片，讲述的是所谓的面条农夫们是如何从面条树上收割庄稼的。
愚人节是一个“享乐”的节日。人们不必送礼物或邀请“他们很在乎的那个人”去一家高级餐馆吃饭。没有人为了庆祝愚人节，不上班或不上课。它只是一个有趣的小节日， 但是在这一天，你必须时刻保持警惕， 因为你很有可能成为下一个“笨蛋”！
梓桐 摘自World Culture
Unlike most of the other nonfoolish holidays, the history of April Fool’s Day, sometimes called All Fool’s Day, is not totally clear. There really wasn’t a “First April Fool’s Day” that can be pinpointed1 on the calendar. Some believe it sort of evolved2 simultaneously in several cultures at the same time, from celebrations involving the first day of spring.
The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1564, in France. Prior to that year, the new year was celebrated for eight days, beginning just after the first day of spring. The celebration typically ended in April. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year’s Day was moved to January.
However, communications being what they were in the days when news traveled by foot, many people did not receive the news for several years. Others, the more obstinate3 crowd, refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the new year in April. These backward folk were labeled as “fools” by the general populace4. They were subjects to some ridicule5, and were often sent on “fools errands6” or were made the butt7 of other practical jokes.
This harassment8 evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank9-playing on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the English and French. April Fool’s Day thus developed into an international fun festival, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own brand of humor at the expense of their friends and families.
Practical jokes are a common practice on April Fool’s Day. Sometimes, elaborate10 practical jokes that last the entire day are played on friends or relatives. The news media even gets involved. For instance, a British short film once shown on April Fool’s Day was a fairly detailed documentary about “spaghetti11 farmers” and how they harvest their crop from the spaghetti trees.
April Fool’s Day is a “for-fun-only” observance12. Nobody needs to buy gifts or to take their “significant other” out to eat in a fancy restaurant. Nobody gets off work or school. It’s simply a fun little holiday, but a holiday on which one must remain forever vigilant13, for he may be the next April Fool!
不同于大多数的节日，愚人节有时被称为所有愚人的节日， 它的由来无从考证。没有人能够在日历上标明第一个愚人节是什么时候。一些人认为它是同时由几种文化演变而来， 是从庆祝春天的第一天开始的。
这个传统的历史最早可以追溯到1564 年的法国。在那一年以前，从春天的第一天开始，人们有八天的时间庆祝新年，庆祝活动通常在4月结束。查理九世在位期间，对历法进行了改革，引进了罗马教皇格列高利的历法，并且将新年的第一天移至1月 1日。
然而，在通讯还靠徒步进行传递的年代里，许多人要等上几年才能收到消息。其他顽固守旧的人拒绝接受新历法，并且沿用在4月1日庆祝新年的传统，这些守旧的人被其他平民称为“笨蛋”，他们受到嘲笑，经常被派去做只有笨蛋才做的差事，或者成为被捉弄的对象。
这种折磨随着时代变迁慢慢演变成在4月的第一天搞恶作剧的传统。这种传统在18世纪传播到英格兰和苏格兰。后来又传播到英国和法国在美洲的殖民地。愚人节就这样发展成为一个国际性的趣味节日。 可以说，不同国家的人们创造了自己独有的幽默，而他们的朋友和家人就成了实验对象。
恶作剧是人们在愚人节常做的事。有时， 精心策划的恶作剧会在朋友或亲戚中持续一天，甚至新闻媒体也参与进来。例如， 在愚人节曾经放映过一部英国短片，它是一部内容非常详细的纪录片，讲述的是所谓的面条农夫们是如何从面条树上收割庄稼的。
愚人节是一个“享乐”的节日。人们不必送礼物或邀请“他们很在乎的那个人”去一家高级餐馆吃饭。没有人为了庆祝愚人节，不上班或不上课。它只是一个有趣的小节日， 但是在这一天，你必须时刻保持警惕， 因为你很有可能成为下一个“笨蛋”！
梓桐 摘自World Culture