Here I sit on a beautiful glorious day. Happy New Year, so they say!
Is it really a New Year, or perhaps have we been fooled?
Let's back up the truck a bit and you decide.
Follow along with me as we journey into the unknown of the New Year Mystery.
The reasoning I have heard is because the official calendar was changed from the Julian
calendar to the Gregorian calendar which threw everything off.
Spring represents change and new life, signifying a new beginning. Everything that
was dead comes to life again. Meanwhile, nothing changes in winter. Everything
remains dead.
While January 1st is the globally recognized New Year in the Gregorian calendar
used by most countries, the idea that April is the “real” New Year stems from older
traditions, such as the Julian calendar starting the year in spring around
March/April. Other cultures like Thailand and Laos celebrate in mid-April,
aligning with the spring’s renewal, nature, and harvest cycles.
Before the Gregorian calendar became standard (around the 17th – 18th centuries),
many European regions started their year in the spring. Somewhere near March 25th
or even April 1st is the best guess, leading to “April Fools Day” as a leftover tradition for those who did not switch to January 1st .
As we know, April marks the beginning of spring (vernal equinox, symbolizing
rebirth, new life, and the end of winter.) Countries like Thailand and Laos celebrate their New Year mid-April, following the lunar (or lunisolar) calendars that align with the spring season and harvest.
Today January 1st is the international standard for New Year’s Day celebrations. This
brings us to April. April 1st used to be New Year’ Day. And I have to wonder, why would they ever invent such a silly day? Making jokes and playing tricks on people. Putting garden snakes in teachers
drawers and frogs in file cabinets. Hmmmmmm.
The King of France, Charles IX, instituted the switch in 1564. This was the
beginning of the New Year on January 1st instead of April 1st . The problem was that
the 16th century communications were not what they are today. Given the state of
the current Twittering world, back in the 16 th century that may have been a good
thing!
Changing the calendar took several months, even years, to spread throughout the
land and beyond. Some resisted the change. Those who refused to honor January
1st as the beginning of the New Year and continued to use April 1st became known
as April Fools for their obstinacy and resistance to change. As the lore goes, April
1st was dubbed as April Fool’s Day for those who clung to their old ways.
Those poor fools, who refused to accept the new calendar were sent out on
ridiculous errands and were made the butt of practical jokes, like sticking signs on
their backs that said “Kick me”. Such folly is how it came to be known as April Fools Day!
