April Fools' Day
Always celebrated on April 1
| April Fools’ Day was first celebrated in 1752 in England. |
| People have been tricked, duped, messed around with, and made fools of for centuries on April 1. |
2010 Product Features
- Hallmark offers two April Fools’ Day cards, including one for an April Fools’ Day birthday. The cards, like the holiday, focus on good-natured humor.
- Hallmark.com provides funny e-cards to make it easy to share the foolery with friends and family.
- Hallmark and Shoebox humor cards also fill the bill for this occasion and can serve consumers’ needs beyond the one-day celebration of April Fools’ Day.
Holiday History
According to Hallmark research, no one knows exactly when the April Fools' Day custom began, but one legend takes it back to the Bible story of Noah and the Ark, when Noah supposedly sent the dove out before the water had abated and the bird had no place to land. Others trace it back to the Roman Hilaria festival in honor of the goddess of nature.
April Fools’ Day was first celebrated in 1752 in England as an occasion for playing tricks on young apprentices who were asked to fetch a pot of striped paint or a two-headed hammer.
The English were behind the rest of Europe when the calendar year was changed to begin on January 1 rather than March 25. (Gifts and visits had always been exchanged at the New Year season, which ended on April 1.) France was the first to make the change, and forgetful or conservative people were given mock gifts on April 1. The custom grew into sending the more naïve on pointless errands.
In Stores
Available at Hallmark Gold Crown® stores nationwide and wherever Hallmark products are sold. Use the store locator on Hallmark.com to find the nearest Hallmark Gold Crown store.