By Lubna Abdel-Aziz "Everything that is, is not; and all that is not, is" --a phrase I read long ago, I forget where and when, and never quite understood. It remained in a corner of the mind, to surface every once in a while for further contemplation. Does it mean that what we believe to be real is not? Does reality exist only in our imagination? Or is it about truth and lies, honesty and hypocrisy, fact and fiction? It's perplexity lingers, yet somehow it seems appropriate to churn it up at times such as these, on a day such as this. April Fool's day, may well be every day of 2010. By a good stretch of the imagination could reality lie in a perfectly safe and healthy environment? Is the world a peaceful one where man seeks to help and save his fellow man? Do life's true values dwell in the hearts of the honest, the good, the kind, the faithful, and not the liars, the cheats, the false and the godless? Is it up to each of us to distinguish reality from fantasy, wisdom from folly? A day such as this laden with fun-filled jokes, pranks and hoaxes may well be more pleasurable, more acceptable, more satisfying than all the real, sane and sensible other days of the year. Why do we celebrate April Fool's Day. Why do we observe a tradition of playing tricks and practical jokes on near and dear ones? The Bard was right when he said "Lord, what fools these mortals be?"Although many theories have been explored, so far the origin of April Fool's Day is still unknown. One of the oldest theories claims that it stems from an ancient Persian tradition "Sizdah Behar," believed to be history's oldest prank-related tradition dating as far back as 536 BC. A more popular belief is that it was first celebrated soon after the adoption of the Gregorian calendar. "The fools" were those who still adhered to the old Julian calendar. One popular, though unlikely explanation, refers to Christ, whose enemies intended to make a fool of him by sending him on a meaningless round of visits to Roman officials -- when his fate had already been pronounced. In Medieval Mystery plays, such events are dramatized tracing Christ's journey from Annas to Caiphas to Pilate, to Herod then back again to Pilate. The most convincing historical evidence suggests that April Fooling was practiced in France under King Charles IX. Throughout France in the early 16th century. New Year's Day was observed around March 25th, the advent of Spring, which makes perfect sense. The celebrations then ran for a week, terminating with dinners parties, and exchanging gifts on April 1st. Charles changed the first day of the year from April 1 to January 1 in April 1564. The adoption of the reformed calendar was resisted by many Frenchmen. Others simply ignored it and continued partying and exchanging gifts during the week ending April 1. Jokers ridiculed these conservative individuals who remained attached to the old traditions, by sending them foolish gifts and false invitations to non-existing parties. The victim of an April Fool's joke was called a "Poisson d'Avril," April fish. Why fish? Astrologers claim that at that time of year, the sun was leaving the zodiacal sign of Pices, the fish. In the 18 century the Romans celebrated "Disguise Day." Men decked themselves in embellishing disguises in order to approach eligible young girls for marriage. It was believed that the disguises brought joy, happiness and a new beginning in a young girl's life. The tradition persists because man seizes every opportunity to inject some humour into a humdrum boring existence. Stark reality invites a desire for escapism. Even kings can be fools for a day. In ancient Babylon and Assyria, the king would often be spanked by the High Priest to remind him of how much a fool any mortal can be, when compared to the gods. Whatever happened to the most ancient fools tradition of Persia "Sizdah Behar." The Persians changed their name to Iranians, but preserved their tradition of playing pranks on the 13th day of the Persian New Year "Nouroz," which falls on April 1 or 2. France as well as French-speaking Canada earnestly pursued Poison d'Avril by pinning a paper fish on the victim's back without his knowledge. This prank is also shared by the Italians "Pesce d'Aprile" In Scotland April Fool's Day is traditionally called "Hunt-the-gowk- day." Gowk stands for Cuckoo, or one who is foolish. The Scots enjoyed their prank so much they devoted 2 days for their practice, April 1 and 2. In Spain and Ibero-America an equivalent day occurred on December 28 "El dia de los Santos Innocentes." Although it is a religious holiday the tradition of pranks is enjoyed by all. The media is a serious participant also anxious for a little humour to break the monotony of the sour daily news. From the New York Times to The Guardian, and several television stations worldwide, the media has had its moments of playfulness. It has even cooperated with the public in order to render a hoax more credible, leaving us wondering what is real and what is not. One notorious incident is the 1957 BBC hoax which remains memorable. The program Panorama announced that Italians harvesting spaghetti from trees have finally eradicated the despised pest "the spaghetti weevil." Half of England called the BBC for information on how to cultivate their own spaghetti trees. On a day such as this hang loose and let your hair down. Have a little fun making a fool of a friend or foe. Better still be a fool for a day yourself. Refuge in folly will be a welcome diversion from the monotony and restraints of wisdom and cruel reality. Mix a little foolishness with your prudence; it's good to be silly at the right moment -- Horace (68-8 BC)
