April Fools' Day might be the world's longest-running joke.

Ever wonder where April Fools' Day came from? Well, surprise! The joke's on you. Nobody seems to know its true origins.Historians do have some clues, though.For one thing, we do know that April Fools' Day customs date back to at least Renaissance Europe, but it's likely the tradition originated long before then.Some historians have linked April Fools' Day to the ancient Roman festival of "Hilaria," where at the end of March, people would come together to commemorate the resurrection of the god Attis. It was a celebration of renewal in which revelers would dress up in disguises and imitate others.It's also possible that the medieval celebration of the Feast of Fools, where a mock bishop or pope was elected and church customs were parodied, could have inspired the day.

Some gullible "fish" might also explain the tradition

Other historians believe April Fools' Day has its origins in the 16th century, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.The Julian calendar began in March with the spring equinox and was celebrated until April 1. By switching to the Gregorian calendar, the new year would now begin on Jan.News traveled slowly back then, and not everyone knew about or was willing to change when to celebrate the new year. Those who continued to celebrate in the spring were often ridiculed and made the butt of jokes

One of the first known references to this term, "poisson d'avril," is found in a 1508 poem written by Eloy d'Amerval. The phrase itself doesn't necessarily mean there was a holiday on April 1, but the idea of the "April fish" is that fish were more plentiful in the spring and thus easier to catch. In other words, an "April fish" was more gullible than fish caught in other seasons.In 1561, an early, clear-cut reference to April Fools' Day appears in a Flemish poem written by Eduard de Dene. In the poem, a nobleman sends his servant out on a series of wild errands. The servant eventually realizes that these are "fool's errands" because the date is April

Scholars say one of the first mentions of an April Fools' Day in English appears in John Aubrey's 1686 book Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme, which reads, in part: "We observe it on the first of April. And so, it is kept in Germany everywhere.

The media has been in on the joke for years

The tradition has evolved over the years with modern forms of media upping the ante on pranks and tricks. Newspapers, radio, TV stations and websites have all participated in the tradition, making April 1 a day where everyone truly needs to be on their guard.On April 1, 1905, for example, a German newspaper wrote that thieves had dug a tunnel underneath the U.S. Treasury and stolen $268 million in silver and gold.

April Fools' Day Story

Neerja wakes up at 7 o'clock. She finds that she has a birthday cap over her head and is surrounded by balloons, frills, and decorations all over her room. There is a “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” banner hanging on the wall. She’s both surprised and confused at the same time. “Is it my birthday today? But it is in August….so how could it be today…?”, thoughts burst into her mind while she checks the calendar on her phone. It shows August 27, her birthday.

She is getting more and more confused. In a few seconds, her Mamma-Papa and elder brother, Naitik, enter the room with snow sprays, party poppers, and a huge box of cake and started to sing the birthday jingle. She was almost convinced until now that it was her birthday for sure, and she was confused for no reason.

She comes forward to cut the cake, and as she opens the lid of the box, everything becomes clear at once. The box has a joker mask with “April Fool!” written on it. With a huge burst of laughter, they make her realize that she's been tricked already. This is how the day begins. As a ritual, now Neerja owns the title of “FOOL OF THE YEAR!”. And if she doesn’t want the title, she has to pass it to someone else.

She gets ready for school, packs her bag, and leaves. On her way to school, she continuously thinks about how to add a member to the “fool's chain” whose 1st member is she. Soon she reaches the school and enters the classroom. Hari, a very innocent guy, comes and sits on the bench next to her. She’s in a dilemma about whether she should trick an innocent guy like him or not. Later, she realises that it's just a game for fun. There is nothing wrong with playing it with someone.

An idea strikes her mind to trick him. She goes to him and says, "Hello, Hari! Didn’t the class monitor tell you that the class teacher called you to the staff room?” “No. Why? What did I do?”, he got a little afraid. She says, “Actually the class teacher wants you to be the new class monitor”. “Ohh! Really?” Hari asks with excitement. “Yes!” she replies. He rushes towards the staffroom and, after some time, she finds him being scolded by the class teacher. This is not what she wanted at all. She realizes that she has made a huge mistake.

Hari returns to his seat, picks up his bag, and moves to another seat far from Neerja. Definitely, he is upset. Neerja decides to apologise to him for what she did. The recess bell rings. She goes to his seat and says, “I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have done this with you. I just wanted to pass the title ‘FOOL OF THE YEAR’ to someone else, I didn’t know it would get you scolded by the class teacher”. “It’s okay!” he replied. “‘FOOL OF THE YEAR’...what’s that?” he asked curiously. Neerja bursts out laughing at his innocent question. Hari laughs too.

They both became the only members of the ‘chain of fools', but they were happy that this chain was the beginning of their friendship too.