April Fools’ Day on Easter? When Did that Ever Happen?

Today is April 1st and it’s Easter Sunday. At church we tried to remember a time when Easter fell on April Fools’ Day. We couldn’t. So I looked it up. Isn’t the internet the handiest? When you have a question like that, somebody out there has already posted an answer. So what’s the answer. The fact is you have to go back more than sixty years for the last time Easter and April Fool’s Day were on the same day. The last time Easter fell on April 1st was 1956. Since 1900, Easter has fallen on April Fools’ Day only four times – 1923, 1934, 1945 and 1956. The next time it happens will be 2029. So it is little wonder we didn’t remember when it last happened.

Did anybody pull a prank on you today? I’ve escaped. At least so far. Maybe that’s because it is Easter and not exactly the time for silly pranks when we are celebrating Resurrection Day at church or with our families. I have to admit I did think about telling one of my grandkids a spider was on her shoulder, but shrieks in church aren’t good. So I behaved myself.

Who Started April Fools’ Day?

So why do we pull those silly pranks on April 1? We have to go way back in time to find the answer to that. The ancient Romans set aside a day for frivolity and pranks usually around the time of the vernal equinox to celebrate winter giving way to spring. However, one source suggested the idea of April Fool’s Day went farther back than that. Way farther back. Although no Biblical scholars are known to have mentioned a relationship, some have suggested you can trace the origins of April Fool’s Day to the Genesis flood narrative. In a 1908 edition of the Harper’s Weekly cartoonist Bertha R. McDonald wrote: “Authorities gravely go back with it to the time of Noah and the ark. The London Public Advertiser of March 13, 1769, printed: ‘The mistake of Noah sending the dove out of the ark before the water had abated, on the first day of April, and to perpetuate the memory of this deliverance it was thought proper, whoever forgot so remarkable a circumstance, to punish them by sending them upon some sleeveless errand similar to that ineffectual message upon which the bird was sent by the patriarch.'”

Whether you want to swallow that story or not, the tradition has carried down through the years until in 1686, John Aubrey referred to the celebration as “Fooles holy day”, the first British reference. An early prank was the one in the notice above when on April 1, 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to “see the Lions washed.” Sounds as though it might be something to watch.

Jolynn’s April Fool’s Story

One of my entrants in my Spring giveaway had a kind of reverse April Fools’ story, but I think it might make you smile. Jolynn tells about something that happened on April 1 when she was a kid. Here’s her story.

So I grew up on a small farm. I also had a brother fifteen months younger than me. He had outdoor chores to do each day. I had kitchen chores to do each day. I thought his chores were much easier, and he got to be outdoors with our farm animals. That also included our pregnant sheep. I told my brother we should trade chores. Well, it was harder to do his chores than I thought. Especially waking up extra early to feed and water the six or seven sheep, ducks, chickens  and one cow. He had to do my chores now, which included setting the table, clearing the table, rinsing the dirty dishes, loading the dishwasher, then later emptying the clean dishes, and putting them away. We had been doing each other’s jobs for a  few days when April 1st arrived. (April Fool’s day.) During the morning chores, I was surprised to see that one of the sheep had her babies! I was even more surprised to see not one, not two, but three baby lambs! Triplets! That doesn’t happen much. Usually two or even only one lamb, if it’s the ewe’s first lamb. This is the only time our farm had triplets! I couldn’t wait to tell my family the good news! Nobody got excited. No one believed me. They hollered out “April Fool’s!” They thought it was an April Fool’s joke. They finally realized with all my excitement that maybe they should “go check it out.” The triplet baby lambs were the best April fool’s day my family ever had. Many years later, I still think of it every April first.

That’s a smile worthy story and one fun to remember on April first. Thank you for sharing it with us, Jolynn.

Entered my Spring Giveaway Yet? – Deadline Midnight EST April 14, 2018

To enter send an e-mail from my Contact Page. First prize winner can choose either the Amazing Grace journal or the Modjeska candies made in my hometown along with the choice of one of my books. Second place winner gets the prize that’s left and the choice of one of my books. Third place winner gets one of my books and a grab bag book. To enter you must be 18 years or older. The contest is open to USA and Canadian readers. Oh, and spring stories, while not necessary to enter, can be fun.

As always thanks for reading and for sharing stories with me. Hope you had a beautiful Easter Day and missed all the April Fools’ jokes.

Do you like April Fools’ Day?