April Fool's Day is celebrated in many countries on this day, it is not a national holiday ( other than when it falls on a bank holiday ) but is a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other.
The earliest association between April 1st and foolishness can be found in Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales', written in 1392.
In 1539 Flemish poet Eduard de Dene wrote of a nobleman who sent his servants on foolish errands on April 1st. In 1686 John Aubrey referred to this day as 'Fooles Holy Day', the first British reference.
In 1698 people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to see 'The Annual Ceremony Of Washing The Lions'.
In recent times hoaxes have included :
The Swiss spaghetti harvest
O.F.O.'s landing in London
Flying penguins
Big Ben goes digital
to name but a few!
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