Time to dig into the history and origin of harvesting spaghetti and the April Fool. Yes, on this day, April 1, 2013, the world will play jokes on each other all in the name of “April Fool” and I guess they will harvest the spaghetti crop as well in Switzerland. But first we interrupt this post for a brief announcement:
Florida Judge Proclaims Atheist Holiday (not true)
In Florida, an atheist, incensed over the preparation for Easter and Passover holidays, decided to contact his lawyer about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by the constant celebrations afforded to Christians and Jews with all their holidays while the atheists had no holiday to celebrate.
The case was brought before a wise judge who, after listening to the long, passionate presentation of his lawyer, promptly banged his gavel and declared, “Case dismissed!”
The lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling and said, “Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? Surely the Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. And the Jews – why, in addition to Passover they have Yom Kippur and Hanukkah … and yet my client and all other atheists have no such holiday!”
The judge leaned forward in his chair and simply said “Obviously your client is too confused to know about or to celebrate the atheists’ holiday!”
The lawyer pompously said, “We are aware of no such holiday for atheists! Just when might that be, your honor?”
The judge replied, “Well, it comes every year on exactly the same date: April 1st!”
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” Psalm 14:1, Psalm 53:1
Origin of April Fool’s Day
Ticket to ‘Washing of the Lions” at the Tower of London
April Fools’ Day is celebrated in many western countries on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools’ Day, in France poisson d’avril (April Fish), in Italy, pesce d’aprile (Both meaning April Fish) but is not a national holiday. April 1 is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other.
The earliest recorded association between April 1 and foolishness can be found in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (1392). Many writers suggest that the restoration of January 1 as New Year’s Day in the 16th century was responsible for the creation of the holiday, but this theory does not explain earlier references.
Blames it on the Pope
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian Calendar) to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called for New Year’s Day to be celebrated Jan. 1. That year, France adopted the reformed calendar and shifted New Year’s day to Jan. 1. According to a popular explanation, many people either refused to accept the new date, or did not learn about it, and continued to celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1. Other people began to make fun of these traditionalists, sending them on “fool’s errands” or trying to trick them into believing something false. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe.
Problems With This Explanation
There are at least two difficulties with this explanation. The first is that it doesn’t fully account for the spread of April Fools’ Day to other European countries. The Gregorian calendar was not adopted by England until 1752, for example, but April Fools’ Day was already well established there by that point. The second is that we have no direct historical evidence for this explanation, only conjecture, and that conjecture appears to have been made more recently.
Young pranksters mark April Fools’ Day by tying a kite to old man’s wig in a circa-1770 illustration.
Spring Fever
It is worth noting that many different cultures have had days of foolishness around the start of April, give or take a couple of weeks. The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25, rejoicing in the resurrection of Attis. The Hindu calendar has Holi, and the Jewish calendar has Purim. Perhaps there’s something about the time of year, with its turn from winter to spring, that lends itself to lighthearted celebrations.
Precursors of April Fools’ Day include the Roman festival of Hilaria, held March 25, and the Medieval Feast of Fools, held December 28, still a day on which pranks are played in Spanish-speaking countries.
Back to Babylon
Iranians play jokes on each other on the 13th day of the Persian new year (Nowruz) (now means new and ruz means day), which falls on April 1 or April 2. This day, celebrated as far back as 536 BC in the Babylonian Empire, is called Sizdah Bedar and is the oldest prank-tradition in the world still alive today; this fact has led many to believe that April Fools’ Day has its origins in this tradition.
Notable April Fools’ Day pranks and hoaxes
Bumper Spaghetti Crop in Switzerland
One of the greatest media hoaxes of all time was perpetrated on April 1, 1957 by the BBC, which reported on its news program Panorama that Switzerland was experiencing a bumper spaghetti harvest that year thanks to favorable weather and the elimination of the dread “spaghetti weevil.” Staged video footage showing happy peasants plucking strands of pasta from tall trees was so convincing that many viewers actually called the network to ask how they could grow their own.
This just shows you that people will believe anything that is posted in the media. We encourage you to post in the comments below your best ever prank or one you have heard of with the source to the prank.
What Does the Bible Say?
A simple search of the word ‘FOOL’ in the KJV yields about 66 results, but we will only focus on a few of these scriptures. The word “fool” is the Hebrew word (3684) כְּסִיל keciyl {kes-eel’} Meaning: fool, stupid fellow, dullard, simpleton, arrogant one and in Greek (3474) μωρός moros {mo-ros’} Meaning: foolish, impious, godless. The Greek word is where we get out modern word moron.
Most glaringly is that the Bible calls anyone the denies there is a God. Therefore by definition, an atheist is a fool, or in Greek a moros, moron in modern terms. This we seems to know and understand, but the Bible has much to say about a fool.
A Fool Thought Wise?
How can that be? Well is says in the Bible, Proverbs 17:18 tells us that a fool who keeps quiet is even thought wise. How many times do we shoot off our mouths and still consider ourselves to be a wise servant of the most high God? Doesn’t seem to be true according to what scripture says.
Then what seems to be a conflict or confusion in the Word is to answer a fool in is folly or to not answer a fool in his folly. So which it is? The proper answer it to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit before answering. No reason to continue arguing with a fool when Scripture says to shake off your feet. But just the same to leave a wrong statement unanswered would allow for deception to set in.
So Who is Worse Than a Fool?
We are told that there is a condition you can find yourself in and be worse than a fool. Remaining in your prideful situation, exhibiting your conceit, thinking you are someone makes you worse than a fool. So if you think that a fool is not where you want to be, don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought to or the Father has no other choice but to humble you before man.
