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How is April Fools’ Day Celebrated Around The World?

Posted by Gummy T. on March 18, 2022.

April Fools’ Day is celebrated in various nations worldwide, including South Korea, France, Italy, and many more.

This day is acknowledged almost everywhere in the world, thus almost everyone is aware of it. But when is April Fools’ Day, exactly? And where did April Fools’ Day originate? Every year on April 1st, April Fools’ Day is celebrated.

This day of pranks and jokes is considered to have begun in France around the 16th century, when New Year’s Day was changed from April 1 to January 1. Because of the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, this action was taken.

However, a few people were resistant to the calendar change and decided to celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1st instead of the new date. They were named the “April Fools,” and others began mocking them. This trend has been maintained and is still done today all over the world!

Although the concept of April Fools’ Day is universal, there are minor distinctions and changes in how it is celebrated from country to country. For example, in France, people put fish images on their backs, but in the United Kingdom, people only conduct pranks until noon.

Let’s find out how April Fools’ Day is celebrated around the world in this post.

Vietnam

April Fools’ Day

The Vietnamese enjoy April Fools’ Day and call it “ Ngày cá tháng tư” or “ Ngày nói dối’. They will tell white lies to friends or coworkers for fun.

Many Vietnamese youngsters tend to express their feelings on April Fools’ Day to the one they love. If their partner refuses the love confession, they can say, “It is an April fool, you have got a lie.” If their partner accepts the confession, they will become a real couple. Confessing failure is less embarrassing on April Fools’ day.

Therefore, April Fools’ Day in Vietnam is also a national confession day. It is not a lie if a Vietnamese girl/ boy confesses to you on April Fools’ Day.

 

United Kingdom

April Fools’ Day is only celebrated for half a day in the U.K. Pranks and jokes are only permitted until noon; otherwise, the jokester is regarded as a fool. So, if you want to participate in the April events, get up early!

 

United States

April Fools’ Day is a cultural event in the United States, and many people look forward to the day when they can perform practical jokes on their buddies. You’ll almost certainly hear fake news on TV. Your friends and family will make you appear dumb, and even coworkers may join in on the pranking. There is no one untouchable!

 

South Korea

How April Fools' Day is celebrated around the world - BTS boy group

In South Korea, students, office workers, Kpop idols, brands, etc. are celebrated on April Fools’ Day.

April Fools’ Day pranks at schools can be fairly detailed, involving the entire class and frequently requiring considerable planning. For example, the entire class might wear their school uniforms backwards, giving the impression that their hair is entirely covering their faces from the backside of the room.

K-pop idols and celebrities participate in many jokes and have a good time on their social media sites.

BTS, the biggest boy band in the world from South Korea, has a tradition of having fun with fans every year on April Fools’ Day. On April 1, the boy group spent part of the day playing around on their Twitter account, changing identities and the photographs linked with it.

 

Greece

There are various myths in Greece about April Fools’ pranks; the first is that if you can fool anyone, you will have good luck for the rest of the year. Other theories claim that successful tricksters will have a productive harvest year and that the rainwater from April 1 has healing powers.

 

Brazil

How April Fools' Day is celebrated around the world - brazil

This day is widely recognized in Brazil as the dia da mentira, or “day of the lie.” On April Fools’ Day, media organizations publish hilarious headlines with fake claims. Many people will tell white lies to each other to fool or troll their buddies, as they do in many other regions.

 

India

The youths in India are the ones who participate in this Western-influenced tradition, yet everyone enjoys the April Fools’ Day atmosphere. After lying and misleading someone, kids enjoy exclaiming “April fool!” and all will engage in foolish pranks such as making phony conversations with mates.

 

France

How April Fools' Day is celebrated around the world - france

April Fools’ Day is enjoyed across France. On this day, kids secretly put a paper fish to other’s back. When the unfortunate victim finds the trick, the successful joker will call out “Poisson d’Avril!”, which means “April fish!”.

 

Ireland

April Fools’ Day is observed in Ireland in a number of ways. On this day, like in the United Kingdom, jokes and pranks are allowed until noon; anyone who keeps playing tricks in the afternoon will be considered silly.

On April 1, some media organizations may post misinformation. Some vehicles may ride on the opposite side of the street, which is terrible because they’re expected to drive on the left!

 

Italy

How April Fools' Day is celebrated around the world - italy

Like their French ones, numerous Italians enjoy April Fools’ Day by glueing a paper fish to anybody’s back. Kids mainly carry out this habit, but on April 1st, all Italians aim to mislead as many people as possible with complex jokes.

 

India

As a result of British influence, April Fools’ Day has been celebrated throughout India. Traditionally, it has been known as a day for cheerful joking, when kids were permitted to play little tricks without facing the consequences. These include substituting salt for sugar in tea or cooking, which annoyed their families.

The younger generations now post pranks on social media, such as making up silly news stories or trying to catch out their friends with jokes. It is not as widely celebrated as elsewhere, but many children enjoy the day’s fun.

 

Sweden

How April Fools' Day is celebrated around the world - sweden

Many people in Sweden are out on första April (April 1), seeking to fool people, as is customary on April Fools’ Day. If you succeed in fooling someone, you should yell “April fools!” instead of yelling “April, April, din dumma sill, jag kan lura dig vart jag vill!” before leaving.

 

Poland

“Prima Aprilis, uwaaj, bo si pomylisz!” is a famous slogan in Poland on April 1. “April Fools’ Day, be aware – you might be wrong!” it says. If you don’t want to fall prey to a trickster’s trick, be aware of any schedule rescheduling or news headlines on this day.

 

To Conclude

While innocent jokes are acceptable, no amount of sweetness can pay for translation errors. Working as a translator is no laughing matter. It’s a challenging task that necessitates the collaboration of various experts, technologies, and procedures.

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How April Fools' Day is celebrated around the world

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