The origin of April Fools Day is shrouded in mystery. One theory holds that in 1582, when Pope Gregory the Thirteenth ordered the Gregorian calendar to replace the Julian calendar, word of the change spread very slowly. Under the Julian calendar, New Years Day was actually an eight-day celebration starting on March 25 and ending on April 1. Some country folks did not get the news for several years. Others, after hearing it, refused to accept it and continued to celebrate New Years on April first. These backward-looking folks were ridiculed, labeled fools, and sent on fools-errands, like looking for a left-handed smoke shifter, or running down to a beach to gather up a hundred feet of shoreline. Another theory says the holiday coincides with the arrival of springs fickle weather that fools us into thinking it will not snow again. Our last theory, religiously based like the first, believes April Fools Day commemorates the fools-errand of the Biblical crow that was sent out in search of land from Noahs flood-encircled ark. The scriptures say that, Fools say in their heart there is no God. I have been called a fool for saying there is a God, but maybe I just ought to close my mouth and pray. Dear God, bless those whose hearts are imprudent enough to exclude You. Send them on a life-long errand to find You, and let them find You. Amen. Todays Thought Is a Quote by Mark Twain: It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt. Sources: infoplease/spot/aprilfools1.html wilstar/holidays/aprilfool.htm snopes/holidays/april/aprlfool.htm Psalm14:1; NRSV; crosswalk/ Mark Twain quote: https://goodreads/quotes/641357-it-is-better-to-remain-silent-and-be-thought-a
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 10:40:13 +0000
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