পন্ঞ্চম পর্ব : origin of april fool day ( দ্বিতীয় অংশ ) The same source states this regarding the modern origin of April Fools Day: The calendar change hypothesis might provide a reason for why April 1st specifically became the date of the modern holiday. But it is clear that the idea of the springtime festival honoring misrule and mayhem had far more ancient roots. In addition, the process by which the observance of the day spread from France to Protestant countries such as Germany, Scotland, and England is left unexplained by this theory. These nations only adopted the calendar change during the eighteenth century, at a time when the tradition of April Foolery had already been well established throughout Europe. Finally, it is not clear what, if any, primary evidence (i.e. first-hand accounts written during the 16th and 17th centuries) supports the theory. The link between the calendar change and April 1st appears to be based on modern conjecture rather than archival research. Therefore, while the theory remains a possibility, it should not be treated as a fact. A German source, Faz.Net, points out that neither the Jews nor the Muslims participate in the custom of April Fools Day. Tagesschau.de wrote on April 1, 2002, that there are 800 theories regarding the origin of April Fools Day, and stated that the Catholic Church has no problem with its celebration. Dr. Manfred Becker-Huberti explained: Even though the first April prank has only been recorded in Germany in 1631, the custom seems to be much older. It can be found amongst all Indo-Germanic tribes... One possible origin can be found in the Roman feast of Quirinalia, or of the Indian feast of Huli, during which fools cast out winter and demons. The best explanation is that it derives from a spring festival, like the German Fastnacht [Fastnacht is part of the German Carnival. The original Fastnacht was also celebrated for the purpose of casting out winter and demons]... In honor of [the Greek goddess] Venus, a feast of deception was celebrated in the spring. April 1 was her special day, and that is the reason why she was also called Aprilis. The name of the Indian goddess of love, Maja, has the meaning of deception. The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, by James Hastings, points out: The origin of the practice is obscure... it was widely prevalent at the close of the 16th century. It seems difficult, therefore, to accept the theory that it was due to the transference of New Years Day from the First of April to the First of January... The similarity of the fooling in India and the Celtic lands of Western Europe, taken together with affinities in religion and folklore... points to a common origin in very early times... The First of April was kept in ancient Rome as the Feast of Venus and Fortuna Virilis... It is to some Celtic form of this worship of Venus on the First of April that the origin of All Fools Day must be traced... All Fools Day may therefore be the relic of a Spring Festival of Llew [a Sun-god of Celtic mythology].
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 07:23:46 +0000
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