FEELING silly and wanting to make the most unforgettable prank today? Well, we’ve got you covered! Make the most memorable prank today with these easy tips — of course, without hurting anyone in between.  

When did April Fools start?

     April Fools’ Day may not be an official holiday, but it is celebrated across the world. From silly little pranks like swapping sugar and salt containers to putting rocks on a classmate’s school bag, like the traditional Filipino way, April Fools’ has become a fun celebration to look forward to every year. But how did this celebration start?

     There is no clear history of how April Fools started. However, there is speculation that it started in 1582 when France decided to switch from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar, a solar calendar that most countries use worldwide. When France was still using the Julian Calendar, the new year began around Apr. 1. Hence, most people in the 16th century recognized Apr. 1 as the start of the new year rather than Jan. 1, as the Gregorian Calendar uses. 

     Since people were still adjusting to the new calendar, some failed to recognize that the new year was moved to a different date. Due to this, people mocked those who continued to celebrate the new year using the Julian Calendar date and called this phenomenon “April Fools,” as they would prank people by putting “Poisson d’avril” (April Fish in English) on their backs to symbolize a gullible person. 

Some unforgettable pranks in history!

     Once a year, people would hop in and join the fun of pranking people. One prank that made it to the history books was the “Swiss Spaghetti Harvest” in 1957, where BBC aired a 3-minute false report that there were Swiss farmers who ‘harvested’ spaghetti on their spaghetti trees. Many viewers were so invested that they even called and asked how to grow their own spaghetti tree at home. 

     Another unforgettable prank that happened was from last year, April 2024. A takoyaki seller in the Philippines posted about a P100,000 cash prize a netizen could receive in exchange for inking their logo on their forehead, which backfired and caused a lot of tension in social media. Various media outlets reported this ‘tattoo fiasco’ only to be revealed as a scripted marketing stunt a few days later. Netizens called out the takoyaki seller for misinforming people and potentially putting them in an embarrassing situation if they had followed the post's instructions. You can read more about this story here. 

What to do and what NOT to do

     Making silly little pranks is fine — but potentially harming them is not. Here are some tips on how to execute a fun yet harmless prank. 

     ‘Consider the sensitivity of the joke.’ Joking about sensitive topics such as cheating on your partner, mental health, or jokes that can potentially create public panic should be avoided at all costs. ‘One should also consider the livelihood of the person.’ There was a time when calling delivery riders and ordering lots of food online, and canceling bookings at the last minute became a trend. This has disrupted the livelihood of the riders, who could waste their time and money during the process of the prank — this should also be avoided at all costs. ‘One must also consider the consequences before pranking.’ Before pranking someone, one must remember that all actions have their own set of consequences. Think about what could possibly happen before acting upon it. 

     Before pranking someone, consider all these simple tips in order to avoid inflicting harm on others.