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April 1st, sometimes called All Fools' Day, is one of the most light-hearted days of the year. Its origins are uncertain. Some think it as a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new calendar. 'Joseph Boskin, a professor of history at Boston University explained that the practice began during the reign of Constantine, when a group of court jesters and fools told the Roman emperor that they could do a better job of running the empire. Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be king for one day. Kugel passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the custom became an annual event.
"In a way," explained Prof. Boskin, "it was a very serious day. In those times fools were really wise men. It was the role of jesters to put things in perspective with humor."
This explanation was brought to the public's attention in an Associated Press article printed by many newspapers in 1983. There was only one catch: Boskin made the whole thing up. It took a couple of weeks for the AP to realize that they'd been victims of an April Fools' joke themselves.'
Whatever the explanation April Fools' Day is observed throughout the Western world. Practices include sending someone on a "fool's errand," looking for things that don't exist; playing pranks; and trying to get people to believe ridiculous things.
It certainly is an excellent subject for a folk song.
https://www.opendrive.com/file/ODBfMTgyODE4MzBfVGpPcHY#