NationStates Jolt Archive

before the gregorian calendar was implemented, the new year began on march 25th. people would celebrate the new year by having a one-week party with a big party on april 1st. when the gregorian calendar was implemented, the new year fell on january 1st. people who showed up for the april 1st party were called "april fools".


or so this is my understanding of it. just wanted to bring the light of wisdom into the dark realms of flamewars :)

no, it was the pagan new year and so to smite them all the church made april 1st a day for fools celebration...

Why couldn't they make it a public holiday? :roll:

i thought the new year was march 21st, the spring equinox... that makes more sense...

even makes more sense than the gregorian calendar when you think about it. whose brilliant idea was it to put the new year in the middle of winter?

Goshawkian is correct, although I believe he meant to use the word "spite" and not "smite".

well, there is no clear april fools origin story but I think it was the vernal equinox

if you have the new year when winter ends, it makes sense cause spring is a 'time of rebirth'. In with the new, out with the old, start planting your crops.

The Pope is to blame; if he hadn't changed the year nobody would be foolish.

Did you see Mark Twain's quote about April 1st?