有关“愚人节起源”的英语作文

“愚人节起源”的英语作文

有关“愚人节起源”的英语作文

All Fool's Day, also known as April Fool's Day, is celebrated

annually on the first day of April. It is a time for the traditional

playing of pranks upon he victim of such

a prank being called an April Fool.

The origins of this custom are somewhat uncertain, but may

have initially been related to the arrival of Spring in late March,

at which time Mother Nature is said to "fool" the human race

with sudden and fickle changes in the showers one

minute and sunshine the next. The playing of practical jokes,

however, dates back to Ancient Rome and such activities were an

integral part of the Hilaria celebrations held on March 25, a

celebration which would again appear to be associated with the

coming of Spring and the Vernal Equinox, held to honor the

resurrection of Attis, Roman God of Vegetation who was linked

to the asonal cycle. In England, an ancient legend states that

April Fool's Day commemorates the fruitless mission of the Rook

(or European Crow) which was nt out in arch of land from

Noah's flood-encircled ark.

It is generally accepted that the All Fool's Day tradition began

in France during the Sixteenth Century, when the beginning of

the New Year was obrved on April 1 and was celebrated in

much the same way as New Year is today with parties and

dancing late into the night. At that time, the festivities ran for a

week, beginning on March 25, and included the exchanging of

gifts. In 1582, however, during the reign of King Charles IX, Pope

Gregory introduced a revid calendar for the Christian world

wherein the New Year fell on January 1. Since it took some time,

possibly even years, for many people to even hear word of the

change (communications being what they were in the Sixteenth

Century) and since others obstinately refud to accept such

reform or simply forgot, New Year's Day continued to be

celebrated on the first day of April in many areas. Individuals who

had accepted the dates of the new calendar played tricks on

tho who had not and referred to the unfortunate victims of

such pranks as "April Fools," nding them on a "fool's errand"

(an invitation to a non-existent party, for example) or attempting

to make them believe that something which was true was actually

fal. Over time, this practice evolved into an annual tradition of

April 1 prank-playing, eventually migrating to England and

Scotland during the Eighteenth Century and thus, introduced to

the American colonies by British and French ttlers.

Some historians maintain that the development of All Fool's

Day is linked to the medieval Feast of Ass or Feast of Fools, and

the latter certainly was a most popular French festival. It does,

however, em unlikely that such a feast day was associated in

any manner with the New Year in this instance, since such

celebrations occurred at the time of the Feast of the Circumcision

on January 1 which, during medieval times, was not the date of

the New Year (under the Julian calendar, the New Year was

celebrated in March). With the passage of time, it is far from easy

to now distinguish between the Feast of Fools and the Feast of

Ass, which may also have been celebrated in January. Many

church dignitaries were honored on specific feast days during the

he deacons on December 26 (Saint Stephen's

Day), the priests on December 27 (Saint John's Day), the

choristers and mass-rvers on December 28 (Day of the Holy

Innocents) and the sub-deacons on January 1 (Feast of the

Circumcision). Later, the feast of the sub-deacons was replaced

by the Guild of Fools, the customs and buffoonery of which then

became associated with the sub-deacons' festivities and most

likely had their origins in earlier Pagan customs, such as the

Roman Saturnalia (celebrated in December), when slaves were

granted temporary equality with their masters. During the Feast

of Ass, the preacher impersonated the Hebrew prophets while

arguing the Divinity of Christ. This rmon evolved into a drama,

including actors and a procession which incorporated the riding

of an ass (most probably symbolized by a hobby hor) into the

church. This lavish spectacle was greatly appreciated and enjoyed

by the so much so, that it eventually developed

parately until the festival became known as the Feast of Ass

and, in its turn, gradually became absorbed into the Feast of

Fools. The Feast of Fools was later outlawed by the Church in

some areas due to the licentious behavior of the congregation

during this time.

There is even speculation that All Fool's Day originated in the

Hindu festival of Huli or Holi, celebrated in March to

commemorate the defeat of evil. Originally lasting for five days,

the modern version of this festival covers two days only. On the

first day, a bonfire is lit and, on the cond, people throw colored

powder and water over each other. Holi celebrations are

associated with the Hindu Demoness, Holika.

In many cultures, tradition dictates that the pranking period

must expire at noon on April 1 and any jokes attempted after that

hour will bring back luck to the perpetrator. In addition, any who

fail to respond with a good humor to tricks played upon them

are said to attract bad luck unto themlves. Such victims are,

however, entitled to "turn the tables" after the hour of noon with

the retort: "April Fool's and you're the biggest fool at

last!" It should be noted that not all April Fool superstitions are

negative. Males who are fooled by a pretty female, for example,

are said to be fated to marry at least enjoy a healthy

friendship with her.

The style of April Fool's pranks has changed over the years.

Sending unsuspecting parties on pointless errands was a

particularly prized practical joke in the early history of the

celebrations. Today, however, it is often a time of initiation rites

into a club or group, especially by the adult population, and it is

the children who appear to truly celebrate the day complete with

its original n of abandon. Otherwi, modern pranks tend to

center more around bogus telephone calls and media-driven

foolery. In sum, All Fool's Day is a "for fun only" a

time when nobody is expected to buy gifts, receive cards or

spend money and there are no vacations from work or school.

The primary force behind April Fool's Day jokes and pranks are

that they should not be harmful but able to be enjoyed by

specially the person upon whom the joke is played.