April is the Humor Month

MyNiceSpace.com

Yeah, April is the humor month. It goes without saying that we need to add a liberal dose of humor in our lives if we have to fight out the odds. Having a sense of humor is a rare gift and if you can laugh away your days, you belong to an elite club of lucky people.

April Fool's Day, or All Fools' Day, is a holiday celebrated in many countries on April 1. The custom of playing practical jokes on friends was part of the celebrations in ancient Rome on March 25 (Hilaria) and in India on March 31 (Huli). The timing seems related to the vernal equinox and the coming of spring-a time when nature fools us with sudden changes between showers and sunshine.

The day is celebrated by the execution of hoaxes and practical jokes of varying sophistication with the goal of publicly embarrassing the gullible. Pranks are suppose to end by noon and those done afterwards are suppose to bring bad luck to the perpetrator. Some sources say that the special meaning of April 1 originates in the French change to the Gregorian calendar ordered by King Charles IX of France in 1582. Before that, New Year was celebrated from March 25 to April 1. With the change of the calendar system, New Year was "moved" to January 1. People who forgot or didn't accept the new date system were given invitations to nonexistent parties, funny gifts, etc.

In France, the victim of a joke is called an "April Fish" (poisson d'avril). In England, tricks can be played only in the morning. If a trick is played on you, you are a "noodle". In Scotland, you are called an "April gowk", which is another name for a cuckoo bird. In Portugal, April Fool's is celebrated on the Sunday and Monday before Lent. The traditional trick there is to throw flour at your friends. Humor and practical jokes are universal.

Some media organisations have either unwittingly or deliberately propagated many hoaxes. Even normally serious news media consider April Fools' Day hoaxes fair game, and spotting them has become an annual pastime.

Well, lucky me because I'll always remember the April Fool's Day. However, I've been fooled once by my mom. It happened in 1998, when I was still working as a receptionist in Executive Hotel, Lahad Datu. I worked night shift the day before and I am very tired when I arrived at home.

The next morning of April 1st, my mom suddenly woke me up and said there's a call for me from my workplace. I'm so lazy to pick up the phone but thinking about it must be something urgent from my manager, I woke up and said ' Hello, Renny speaking'...but of course nobody answered. Just then, my mom and my siblings laughed so loud at me!! Oh gosh..I went to my bedroom straight away..malu gia..I used to fool them and this time it's their turn to fool me..ha..ha..

Well, enjoy your April Fool's Day..