CYBEREVOLUTION

Tomorrow it will be April 1st 2007.  Or “April Fools Day”, or “All Fools Day” - which is a day in recent tradition where all manner of confusion and light hearted anarchy ensue; where people, groups and organisations seek to “out-do” one another with clever tricks, slight of hand and general tom foolery!

But - What I would really love to know, is where this tradition actually came from?

One accepted notion is that in 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calender from the older Julian Calender, which celebrated New Year on or around April, New Year under the new Gregorian Calender moved New Year to January 1st.  Though generally plausible, there are a number of flaws behind this explanation in that this calender wasn’t adopted worldwide (where April Fools is recognised); certainly in England it wasn’t until about 1752!

Explanation number two?  Back in 1983 according to a Joseph Boskin; back in the time of Constantine; a court Jester named Kugel boasted he could run the Empire better than him, amused Constantine let him be the King for the day - during which time he passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day.  The tradition stuck after that.  The problem with this very plausible sounding explanation is that it was in fact made up by Joseph Boskin and is in fact a complete fiction.

So, where DOES April Fool come from?  Is it simply a fictional national holiday where chaos is perceived as normal?  Or is there more to the history behind this day?  It could be that this is a Pagan left-over which has evolved itself into present culture, it is known in many cultures of the past of festivals involving foolishness around this time of the year…all are linked with vegetation or fertility.

So - in conclusion, perhaps by acting the fool, or playing a “blinder” on your boss, friends or family tomorrow in your own way, you are doing your bit to ensure this year sees a good crop?

Food for thought….I think so!!

In other news, it’s Michelle Carter’s (ne Fothergill) birthday today, and I sure hope she gets my email!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 31st, 2007 at 9:07 pm and is filed under General.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.