| april 1: april fool's day |
| It is commonly believed that the origins of April Fool's Day can be traced to 16th-century France. At that time, the new year was celebrated on April 1st. Towards the end of the century, a new calendar was introduced which placed the official new year's celebration on January 1st. However, there were many who didn't get the word, or who didn't like the idea of change, and who continued to celebrate the new year in April. These people would go down in history as the first April Fools, made the butt of jokes by their more up-to-date neighbors. As time passed, the advent of mass media insured that we would all be on the same calendar, but the tradition of playing pranks on unsuspecting Fools on April 1st continued. April Fool's Day is a High Holy day of the Agency. It serves as a reminder of two things that are important to the Leisurely lifestyle: first, that making assumptions and being unable to respond to change can make you very foolish indeed; second, that it is important to be able to laugh at yourself, as the recipient of any April Fool's prank can tell you. This is a day for celebrating the extroverted, wacky, silly side of Leisure as opposed to the recumbent, sleepy side. Traditional pranks are a good way to celebrate, as is acting Foolish in order to enlighten and amuse those around you. It's a day for sharing! |
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