Beware of April fool pranks!

[Naveed Yaseen]

Ishrat Hyatt
Today, the first day of the fourth month of the Gregorian calendar, is popularly known as ‘April Fools Day’ or ‘All Fools Day’ in countries around the world. Although not a holiday in its own right, is a notable day celebrated or rather marked by those who like to play practical jokes.

There are a number of versions about how this date was chosen as a ‘Fools Day’ and while a few persons have tried to make its origin controversial, an origin which is widely accepted is that April 1 was counted the first day of the year in France and when King Charles IX changed it to January 1, some people stayed with April. Those who did were called ‘April Fools’ and were taunted by their neighbours. Also in another version in some countries, the jokes are supposed to last only until noon, so someone who plays a trick after noon is called an ‘April Fool’.

The day is marked by the hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying kinds on friends, family members and even enemies, and neighbours, or sending them on errands that end up embarrassing the victim. In the context of it being controversial because it is frowned upon by many of those who believe that Muslims were the victims in Spain, the question arises whether we should celebrate/mark it in any manner. Many others accept the origins given above and say there is no harm in doing what people all over the world do - celebrate-mark it in some manner.

So be prepared to get all kinds of messages through your SMS service on your mobile phone because ever since this contraption came into common use, this day is now ‘celebrated’ especially by the younger generation who get a kick when they succeed in fooling their friends. As long as the practical jokes are not hurtful; cause distress or anguish; are not biased against a section of society and /or creed there is no harm in innocent ones that cause a giggle or laugh and no one will mind or object to them. Just remain on your guard and check out the veracity of what you hear or receive via SMS before you go running off and are called, ‘April Fool!’

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=170281