Variations on the origin of April Fools' Day exist, but here's one that is plausible. In France, the first country to adopt the Gregorian calendar, Charles IX decreed that January 1 be the beginning of the New Year. Previously, the advent of spring on March 25 was celebrated as the beginning of the year with a week-long festival that ended in the exchange of gifts and a feast on the first of April. People who forgot or resisted the change in the calendar were ridiculed by being sent foolish gifts and invitations to non-existent parties.
Higgledy-Piggledy
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