April Fool’s Day: Doing It for the LOLZ
Mar 29th, 2009 by Ealeal
Throughout my childhood, each month of March was marked by eager anticipation of the first day of April. Although not an “official” holiday, in our family this day was traditionally the most sacred of days for my dad, who dedicated a large portion of the year to coming up with elaborate hoaxes in time for April Fool’s Day.
Whether it was placing a sign announcing that a monstrous 60-story housing project would be built in the middle of my parents’ green little neighborhood and spreading panic amongst the concerned neighborhood committee to mysteriously hanging fruits on trees and shrubs they are not indigenous to, or even pranking the other doctors at work by asking for a the rush delivery of 2 beds formed into an “L” shape in order to accommodate Siamese twins who he claimed share a head, my dad absolutely LIVED for this day. The rest of us were mostly frightened, although good-humored about it all.
While the exact origins of this funny little holiday are unknown, it is thought to have been celebrated soon after the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, once it became apparently uncool to stick to the previous Julian calendar. In pre-Christian times, those who rushed out to celebrate spring prematurely – meaning prior to May Day – were perceived as April Fools. Throughout the years, these traditions evolved into a celebratory day for hoaxes and pranks across the world.
Just can’t get enough April Fool LOLZ? Check out Google’s impressive archive of April’s Fool pranks. Just remember, it’s always funny, as long as the joke isn’t on you!
Got an idea for a great office or workplace prank? We wanna hear about it!
