pranks all ill-doers and evil spirits would get so confused they were null and void. And so the Druid priest's ritual was considered a success! Another theory relates it to the Hindu festival of Holi (or Huli) which of course is another spring fertility festival done with fire. This festival lasts for 5 days, including a continual outdoor bonfire and dancing. This brings people into an estatic mood. So how does April Fool's fit in? On the LAST day of this festival (which happens to be March 31) people are sent on worthless errands to everyone's amusement. There are a lot of folk stories in which people are sent on witless missions (or impossible ones). The common thread is that most of this is done in the Spring and is related around love. And, as some scholars say, when it comes to love even the most reasonable people go crazy and conduct themselves in a silly manner when they fall in love. So, April's Fool's Day is often associated with romantic craziness and fooling around. April Fool's Day was brought to the United States in the 1600's by the English, Scottish and French settlers. It is believed that France helped influence when this day was celebrated because they changed their calendar in 1564 (King Charles IX) which changed the New Year from March 25 to January 1. April Fools' Day is also called Huntingowk Day or Gowkie Day in Scotland, because an April Fool is called a gowk. In England it's often referred to "All Fools Day" or "April Noddy Day" because in England a fool is referred to as a 'noddy.' But, all of these names originate from the "Feast of Fools" which was a popular medieval festival during which social roles were reversed and rules were deliberately broken. The men would dress up as women, eat and gamble at the altar, burn old leather sandals in the censors and engage in other unthinkable activities normally. The Feast of Fools was really popular in France, where April Fools' Day is widely observed.
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