Careful! It's April Fool's Day!

Happy April Fools Day!
Well, I guess ‘ole Gary ought to tell you what April Fools Day is and where it came from.

April Fools' Day is celebrated in the Western world on the 1st of April of every year. Sometimes referred to as "All Fools Day", April 1st is not a legal holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day which tolerates practical jokes and general foolishness. My mother took great joy in finding some way to play a trick or two on me on April Fools Day morning each year, then calling me an April Fool and giving me a little punch on the arm.

The day is marked by the commission of good humored or funny jokes, hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, teachers, neighbors, work associates, etc.

Traditionally, in some countries such as New Zealand, the UK, Australia, and South Africa, the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an "April Fool". It is for this reason that newspapers in the U.K. that run a front page April fool story only do so on the first (morning) edition. Elsewhere, such as in France, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, Canada, and the U.S., the jokes last all day.

The earliest recorded association between the 1st day of April and foolishness can be found in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392). Many people believe that moving of the beginning of the New Year from April 1st to January 1st with the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar in the 16th century was responsible for the creation of the holiday.

To me, it doesn't really matter. April Fools Day is just a good excuse to have a little innocent fun and a laugh or two.

And now for the holiday, another of my Grandfather's Irish Jokes:

Murphy rushed along the corridor of the train, opening every compartment door and asking: 'Is there a priest or a vicar here?'
After four attempts he came to a compartment where a man said:
'I'm a rabbi if that's any good.'
'No,' said Murphy. 'I'm looking for a corkscrew!'

–So be careful out there today –but remember – it is all in good fun so keep your good humor and your patience handy!

Live Long and Prosper...