April Fool’s Day

Today is a day for you to be prepared.  There could be pranksters in your path who would like nothing better than to fool you on this first day of April.  It could be a big prank or it could be a small prank. Be on guard!.

You may be the prankster too!  Who are you planning on tricking?

April first is a fun day and it definitely brings happiness and hopefully plenty of smiles.  A teacher friend I know tells her Kindergarteners that she made brownies and then she gives them a brown letter “E.”  

Have you ever wondered how the tricks behind April 1 ever began?  We did too and it turns out it’s still a mystery.  There are some ideas but no one seems to know for certain.

One thought is that it started back in 1852 when the Julian calendar switched over to the Gregorian calendar.  People who were slow to move to the change celebrated the new year from late March to April 1. They were called April Fools. 

It was in Britain when April Fool’s Day really started to take off in the 18th century.  The Scottish people spread the holiday over two days.

On the first day people sent unaware friends on phony errands called “hunting the gowk.”  A gowk is a cuckoo bird the symbol for a fool.

The second day was for pranks.  On Tailie Day, you would see fake tails put on the back of a person or even “kick me” signs.

There may be more mysteries behind the origins of April Fool’s Day but for now Private Home Health Care wants you to be on your “toes” and look out for tricks today!  

We also hope you have some fun moments in your day.  It’s a great way to start off the month!