April Fool!
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青海的Carla问：
愚人节快到了，去年我就给忘了，结果可想而知了。不过，愚人节还是蛮好玩的。由于这是一个西方的节日，所以我除了知道它是一个可以捉弄人的“合法”日子以外，其它的就什么都不知道了。所以想请Rudi给介绍介绍。另外，能不能再介绍一些西方流行的恶作剧呢？
Rudi：
Carla你好，愚人节的确是一个容易被人们忽略的节日，但这也正是这个节日的乐趣所在。在下面的文章中，我会介绍一些愚人节的背景知识，并与读者朋友们分享一些在西方备受欢迎的经典恶作剧。让我们一起来看看吧。
Origins
The origins of april fool's Day, like so many festivals, are largely undetermined. Nobody can pinpoint an actual date when the first April Fool's Day was celebrated. It seemed to have evolved simultaneously in different countries. Most historians agree that it had something to do with the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar in Europe in the 16th Century.
In 1582 the Gregorian Calendar was officially accepted as a replacement for the Julian one in France. Prior to this date the New Year was celebrated on April 1st. When Charles IX introduced the new calendar, the New Year was moved to January 1st.
However, at that time communications were not advanced and many people did not know about the change or were too stubborn to accept it. They continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1st. Gradually, as the majority of the population started celebrating the New Year on January 1st, the minority who continued to observe the old calendar became known as fools, and April 1st became All Fool's Day.
In the 18th Century, the tradition of ①making a fool of people on April 1st spread to England and Scotland. Later April Fool's Day began to be celebrated in the colonies of both France and Britain and it evolved into an international fun-fest.
April Fool's day is a fun festival only. Nobody is expected to exchange gifts or eat special meals. It is not a national holiday anywhere. It's simply a fun little holiday, but a holiday on which one must remain forever vigilant, for he may be the next April Fool!
Superstitions
There are many superstitious beliefs about April Fool's Day. The most prevalent one in the past was that all pranks had to be played before noon. Any jokes made after noon will bring bad luck on the joker. This belief is hardly ever adhered to any more and potential victims should be on their guard until midnight!
A common belief is that victims of pranks on April 1st should be tolerant. To react angrily to a joke on that day will cause bad luck for oneself. Furthermore, men who get married on April Fool's day will be destined to be permanently ruled by their wives.
Not all superstitions are bad though. If a man has a joke played on him by a pretty girl he will be fated to marry her. Also, children born on this day will have good luck in everything but should avoid gambling.
Pranks
April Fool's day is celebrated by ②playing tricks on friends, relatives and colleagues thus making fools of them. As April 1st is not a holiday many people forget the significance of the date and leave themselves open to attack. The most traditional type of gag is to send someone on a false errand, but these days tricks can be much more complex. Here are a few favourites:
愚人节的由来
像很多节日一样，愚人节的由来在很大程度上悬而未决。没有人能确切指出第一次庆祝愚人节的实际日期。它好像是在不同的国家同时发展起来的。很多历史学家都认为，它与格里高利历在16世纪被引入欧洲有关。
1582年，儒略历在法国正式被格里高利历所取代。在此之前，新年的庆祝日期是4月1日。当查理九世引入新历的时候，新年便被改在了1月1日。
然而，那时的通讯并不发达，很多人并不了解这一变更，要不就是他们太过固执而不能接受。他们依旧在4月1日庆祝新年。渐渐地，随着大多数人开始在1月1日庆祝新年，那些继续遵循旧历的少数人被当成了愚人，4月1日也就成为了“愚人节”。
18世纪，在4月1日愚弄他人的习俗传到了英格兰和苏格兰。而后，法英两国的殖民地也都开始庆祝愚人节，它进而发展成为一个国际性的欢乐节。
愚人节仅仅是一个欢乐之节。没人会交换礼物或吃些特殊的饭菜。在任何地方它都不是一个国定假日。它虽然只是一个有趣的小节日，但却是一个人们必须永远保持警惕的节日，因为自己有可能就是下一个“愚人”！
迷信说法
关于愚人节的迷信说法有很多。以前流行最广的一个就是，所有恶作剧只能在中午之前来做。中午过后，所开的任何玩笑都会给开玩笑的人带来厄运。但这个说法几乎已被摈弃了，而可能被捉弄的对象就应该在午夜之前一直保持警惕！
在4月1日被捉弄的对象应该保持宽容心态，这是一种共识。在当天对玩笑大发雷霆，就会使自己招致厄运。此外，在4月1日结婚的男人们注定要永远受到他们妻子的管制。
尽管如此，并非所有的迷信说法都是不好的。如果一个男人被一个漂亮的姑娘开了一个玩笑，那他就注定要娶她。另外，在这天出生的孩子会事事顺利，但要避免赌博。
恶作剧
愚人节的庆祝方式是，拿亲朋好友和同事开玩笑，以此来愚弄他们。由于愚人节不是一个（法定）节日，因此很多人忘了这个日子的含义，把自己弄得毫无防备。最传统的玩笑就是让人白跑腿儿，但现在，花样可能要复杂得多。以下就是一些人们的最爱：
False errands
These types of pranks are best played on newcomers at work. Some popular ones include sending someone to the maintenance room to ask for a rubber hammer and glass nails or asking someone to go to another department for ten meters of shoreline.
Phone pranks
Just about everyone knows a good phone prank. A classic one involves getting a few friends to call the same number over a period of one hour asking for a Mr. Smith. Just when the victim starts to get really angry about all these people calling looking for a Mr. Smith call one more time and say, "Hi. This is Mr. Smith. Are there any messages for me?"
Other phone pranks are based on names that sound like something else. For example, you could call the zoo and ask for a Mr. Albert Ross.
Table Tricks
When nobody is looking fill up a sugar bowl with salt and watch as the victim puts a few spoons in their coffee. Most ketchup users will shake the bottle before putting it on their food. Loosen the top on a bottle of ketchup and watch as the shaker covers himself in the stuff.
Time Difference
This is a favourite in college dorms. When your roommate is asleep reset his/her alarm clock so that it is an hour slower.
Confetti Rain
Place confetti inside a closed umbrella in your home or office and pray for rain on April 1st.
False Advertising
Publicizing a false event or product is another favourite trick of students. For example, you can print leaflets stating that free lunches will be given to students that day at a certain restaurant. Sit outside and watch the fools arguing with the waiters about their right to free food.
Hot Seat
Put some hot substance, such as Deep Heat, on a toilet seat and watch people leave the bathroom only to turn around and quickly run back in again.
Missing Vehicle
Take someone's car keys when they are busy and move their car to a different location. Watch as they frantically ③pace up and down by the place where they parked their car.
白跑腿儿
这类恶作剧最适合用在新员工身上。一些非常流行的恶作剧包括，让人去维修室要一个“橡胶锤”和“玻璃钉”，或让人去另一个部门要10米长的“海岸线”。
＊注：由于新人通常想把工作做好，因此神经比较紧张。要他去做什么，他就会不假思索地去做。再加上“rubber hammer”、“glass nails”和“shoreline”这些词猛一听，是听不出问题的，所以他们就会轻易地上钩，成了愚弄对象。
电话恶作剧
几乎每个人都知道一个好玩的电话恶作剧。经典的一种就是，让几个朋友在一小时内拨打同一个号码，找“史密斯先生”。就在被捉弄对象对这些打电话找“史密斯先生”的人动了真火之时，再打一次说：“你好。我是史密斯先生。请问有我的口信吗？”
其它的电话恶作剧是以名字为基础的，这些名字与其它一些东西谐音。例如，你可以打电话到动物园，找“艾伯特・罗斯先生”。
(注：“Albert Ross”听起来与“albatross”十分像。而“albatross”是一种鸟――信天翁。因此当你打电话到动物园找“Mr. Albert Ross”时，接线员会回过头就喊：“Is Mr. Albert Ross here?”，然而听起来就像“Is Mr. albatross here?”。在动物园，问“信天翁在不在”自然会让人捧腹大笑了。)
餐桌上的把戏
趁别人不注意的时候，将糖罐里放满盐，然后就看着被捉弄者往其咖啡里放上几勺。大多数吃番茄酱的人会在往食物上倒酱之前把瓶子先摇一摇。把番茄酱的瓶盖拧松，看着摇瓶子的人把自己弄得一身都是这个东西。
时差
这在大学宿舍中颇受欢迎。趁你室友熟睡时，将他/她的闹钟重新设置一下，拨慢一个小时。
五彩纸屑雨
在家中或办公室中，把五彩纸屑放到一支折好的伞里，然后就祈祷4月1日下雨吧。
虚假广告
一个虚假活动或产品的信息是学生们最爱玩的另一种把戏。例如，你可以印一些宣传单，上面写着某家餐馆在那天会为学生提供免费午餐。坐在（餐馆）外面，看着那些愚人为了免费就餐权而与服务员争论。
热座
在一个马桶座上放一些可以发热的东西，如热软膏，看着人们离开卫生间后，却又掉头赶快跑了回去。（注：Deep Heat 是一种药膏，有发热的功效）
丢车
在某人忙碌时，拿走他/她的车钥匙，将汽车开到另一个地方。看着他们在其原来停车的位置上疯狂地走来走去。
Media Hoaxes
The media always join the fun on April Fool's Day with hoax stories to fool the masses. The most famous media hoaxes include:
In 1957 the BBC documentary program Panorama ran a fake piece about Swiss farmers harvesting spaghetti from trees. A lot of viewers called the station asking for information on where they could buy spaghetti trees.
The year Canada introduced a two dollar coin a radio DJ working at CHEZ FM ④pulled his listeners legs by telling them that April 1st was the last day that Canadian banks would honour two dollar bills. Banks across Canada and the Royal Canadian Mint were inundated with calls.
The BBC announced to its viewers that on April 1st it would to conduct a trial of a new technology allowing the transmission of smells over the airwaves. Many viewers reportedly contacted the BBC to report the trial's success.
The Joker
America's most famous prankster is Joey Skaggs. In 1976 he advertised a new business; a pooch brothel. Owners of amorous male dogs could pay to have their pet gratified by a female canine. This new business sparked a public debate and when the police came to deal with Skaggs, he revealed that it was a joke.
He struck again when he advertised the 16th Annual April Fool's Day Parade in New York. Major TV networks, like CNN and Fox, turned up to cover the event. But of course no one was there.
Dunce Cap
A dunce cap is a tall conical hat typically made of paper and often marked with a D. It was given to schoolchildren to wear as punishment for being stupid or lazy. While this is no longer in practice, it is frequently depicted in popular culture such as children's cartoons. Both the dunce cap and the word dunce owe their origin to John Duns Scotus, a 13th century scholar whose followers wore such hats to increase learning. Originally the word "Dunce" meant followers of Duns Scotus and had a positive meaning. Later it came to mean a stupid or foolish person.
April Fish
In France an April Fool's Day victim is called 'poisson d'avril' which means April fish. Many pranks played on that day will have something to do with fish e.g. sending someone to a fishmonger on a false errand.
媒体骗局
媒体通常会用骗人报道来愚弄大众，以此共享愚人节之乐。最著名的媒体骗局包括：
1957年，英国广播公司的记录片节目――《全景图》播出了一则虚假新闻，说瑞典的农民从树上收获了意大利面。很多观众给电视台打来了电话，询问在哪里可以买到“意大利面之树”。
在加拿大启用2元硬币那年，CHEZ调频电台的一个DJ拿他的听众开了一个玩笑，说4月1日是加拿大的银行兑换2元纸币的最后一天。电话便潮水般地向加拿大各地的银行和加拿大皇家铸币厂涌来。
英国广播公司向其观众宣布，在4月1日那天会进行一项新技术实验――使气味经由电视广播传送出去。据报道，很多观众与英国广播公司取得联系，报告这项实验取得成功。
爱开玩笑的人
美国最著名的恶作剧者是乔伊・斯卡格斯。1976年，他为一项新业务――狗妓院做了广告。拥有多情公狗的主人可以付钱让一只母狗来取悦他的宠物。这项新业务激起了公论，而当警察来找斯卡格斯交涉时，他披露说，那只是一个玩笑。
当他在纽约为“第十六届年度愚人节游行”做广告时，他再掀波澜。主要的电视媒体，如有线电视新闻网和福克斯公司，都前来报道这一活动。不过，那里肯定是一个人都没有了。
愚人帽
典型的愚人帽是一个高高的圆锥形纸帽，上面通常标有一个字母“D”。学生要是做了愚蠢或偷懒的事情，作为惩罚，就要戴上这个帽子。虽然这一做法已被摈弃，但它却常常出现在流行文化中，如儿童漫画。愚人帽和“dunce”这个词都源于一个13世纪的学者――约翰・邓斯・司各脱，其追随者会带着这样的帽子来增加学识。最初，“Dunce”这个词的意思是“邓斯・司各脱的追随者”，含义是积极的。后来，它的意思转变成“愚蠢的人或笨人”。
四月鱼
在法国，愚人节的被愚弄对象被称作“poisson d'avri”，意思是“四月鱼”。当天的很多恶作剧都与“鱼”有关，例如让某人去鱼商那里白跑一趟腿儿。