Why do we all go cuckoo?

It’s April’s Fool Day today so watch out for pranks and hoaxes. Caroline Lindsay delves into the origins of this lovable nonsense that turns us into naughty children for the day

Spaghetti trees, lefthanded burgers and flying penguins – just a few of the more memorable April Fool’s tricks played on us by the media over the years. But have you ever stopped to wonder why we celebrate April 1 with a day of japes and jokes?

While the history of April Fool’s Day or All Fools’ Day is uncertain, we know the Romans celebrated a day of fun and games with the Festival of Hilaria while, in ancient civilisation, New Year was marked between March 25 and April 1. Anyone who observed New Year’s Day on April 1 was called a fool or an April fish.

In centuries gone by, April Fool’s Day was celebrated for two full days over April 1-2. On the first day people played pranks and told fibs to catch each other out and played Hunt the Gowk – gowk is the old Scots for a cuckoo, traditionally known as a foolish bird because of its habit of leaving eggs in other birds’ nests. So, if you were the gowk, you were a fool, the victim of an April Fool’s prank.

On the second day, or Tailie Day, paper tails were attached to people’s backs, resulting in much merriment.

While we’re supposed to stop playing jokes and japes by noon on April 1, many folk ignore this and carry on into the evening.

Jess Smith, a Scottish storyteller who Scottish tradition at least belonged to the Broonies – the wee goblins who would come around at night, usually on a farm, and do the work that no one else would do.

“They’d be gone by first light, apart from the day that separates winter from the spring, the first day of April,” she continues. “It was then they’d take hens’ eggs and place them in feeding troughs or under tree roots, put ducks in the barn and cows in the pond, scatter straw on the kitchen table – you know, daft stuff. Well, that’s what auld folks would say.”

In the north, tales were told of the Queen of the Sun, who would come clothed in buds of all kinds, heralding birds and lambs to follow, before the Gowk storm flew off the mountain tops with trails of winter snow and a howling gale to fool the coming of spring.

“It was the crabbit winter having one last blast of her power before her seasonal sleep,” adds Jess.

She also recalls it being looked upon as a day for bad luck, so much so that women in labour would do all in their power to slow down the birth of their baby or try to speed it up to avoid the first of April.

While we can’t promise you the Queen of the Sun or a Gowk storm, this year’s April Fools include an indoor snow attraction in Manchester which has apparently launched snowboarding lessons for dogs, while Funeralbooker has introduced a home cremation service in response to spiralling funeral costs – the new service costs just £299.99 and includes door-to-door delivery of CremMate, the UK’s first domicinerator.

You can see Buddy the Newfoundland trying out the snowboarding at www.thecourier.co.uk

An indoor snow attraction is offering snowboarding lessons for dogs and Funeralbooker has suggested a novel way of cutting funeral costs.