How are Prank Days celebrated in Spain and in the United Kingdom?
Are you a prankster? Read this article to find out more about the socially accepted days to pull pranks on people in Spain and in the United Kingdom.
April 1st is a tradition every year, it is the day of the year when individuals are encouraged and it is acceptable to pull pranks and hoaxes on each other. Although the 1st of April is not an official holiday, it is still joyfully celebrated by children all around the world. Its origin remains unclear, however, some speculations have been made.
In Spain, the day of the pranks falls on the day of the "Holy Innocents", on the 28th of December of every year, and in the United Kingdom (UK), the day of the pranks is called "April Fool's Day".
- Origin of april Fool's Day
- April Fool's Day in the United Kingdom
- Origin of the day of the Holy Innocents in Spain
- The day of the Holy Innocents in Spain
Origin of April Fool's Day
The celebration of the 1st of April does not have a clear origin. There are many different speculations however, the most common one goes back to the 16th century. The King of France at the time, Charles IX, realized that the calendar was interpreted differently everywhere, leading him to the creation of a decree in 1564, under the name Edict of Roussilloin which declared the 1st of January to be the first day of the year. Therefore, some nostalgic people preferred to start their uear at the beginning of spring, and were consequently mocked for wishing them a false good year on the 1st of April.
Another speculation is the one that April fool's Day is linked to the opening and closing dates of fishing in certain countries. This day was to prank fisherman, whether their fishing was successful or unsuccessful, they were offered a herring. Consequently, it became a habit to hang those herrings on the clothers of the victim.
Overtime, the tradition spread throughout Europe and there had exported to the remaining continents. Regardless of its origin, it is important to know how to celebrate this day with humour and mischief.
April fool's Day in the United Kingdom
Although the 1st of April is celebrated all over the world, each country has its own specific habits on that day. The main idea is to prank or trick other through humorous jokes and stunts.
It is very likely that people will be the object of various jokes, that salt will be changed for sugar, that the time on watches will be altered, it all depends on the malice of people. It is also a day on which the press and famous brands usually make their own jokes by publishing curious news. Funnily enough, although it is always on the same day, everyone always falls for these pranks.
One of the most famous tricks is to look at a friend's shoes and telling them their shoelace is untied. The goal of this day is to play hoaxes on each other, however, these must stop after midday. The one that pulls these pranks and hoaxes after midday will become the fool. Scotland is an excepetion for the United Kingdom as, the 1st of April extends over two full days where the aim is to go hunting for the fool.
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Origin of the day of the Holy Innocents in Spain
The 1st of April is not celebrated in Spain, in fact it is just another regular day, however, they celebrate the day of the Holy Innocents which is celebrated on the 28th of December.
The origin of this tradition is in Christianity. This day represents the massacre of children under the age of two in order to get rid of Jesus of Nazareth in Bethlehem. According to the Bible, this massacre was ordered by King Herod.
The name "Holy Innocents" results from the fact that at such a young age, the kids that were being masscare could not have committed any sin, and were therefore innocents.
Commonly, Spanish people, especially children, stick paper dolls on someone's else's back, those dolls are called Llufa or Llufes. Interestingly, Lllufes are etheric spririts, beings of air or wind, similar to fairies or elves. It is believed that during the end of the year, the llufes roam everywhere, silent and mischevious, and mocking them. That is why the paper doll that is hung up on the day of the Holy Innocents is called a llufa.
The day of the Holy Innocents in Spain
In some Spanish municipalities, the day takes on special importance and events are held. Although all kinds of pranks are played on this day, there are some that are repeated everywhere.
One of the typical things to do on this day is to hang a paper doll on someone's back. This doll is also known as Llufa or Llufes. Additionally, it is very common for newspapers to publish fake news with some kind of joke, as well, on television, all channels prepare a hoax for celebrities through the use of hidden cameras in order to turn them into the innocents person of the day.
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