from the Chronicles of Celtic Customs, by Brian Day 1st April, April Fools' Day CELTIC. The spring festival of the Celtic god of humour, Lud, involved a great deal of japery, coming as it did at the end of winter's privations. The first day, 25th March, and the last, 1st April, were the most important. A similar festival, Hilaria, was celebrated by the Romans. Further evidence of the complex origins of April Fools' Day comes from the festivities which once marked the end of the spring equinox, dating from at least the 2nd century, and the end of New Year celebrations on the Old Calendar, where New Year's Day was where 25th March is now. Another contributory element may be the merriment which always accompanied the end of Lent fasting, and possibly another the mocking of Christ before his death. A fool was commonly called a cuckoo, an allegedly foolish bird. The French term for an April Fool is Poisson d'Avril, which may come from the position of the sun at the spring equinox in the constellation Pisces. People are sent on fool's errands, or have pranks played upon them, but this must cease at 12 noon. The fool may thus have originally been a scapegoat or sacrificial victim. CORNWALL. Typical pranks played were sending someone for a penn'orth of pigeon's milk, for memory powder, for strap-oil, or with a note saying "Send the fool further!'. A successful trickster shouts to the victim 'Fool! Fool! Guckaw!' (Cuckoo!). -- Pat Connors, Sacramento CA http://www.connorsgenealogy.com All outgoing mail virus free, scanned by Norton 2002