Humor, farce and surprises. This is the ideal recipe for a successful first of April. Every year, many people love to prank their friends or prank their partner for an entire day. An April Fool’s joke for the best and especially for laughter.

However, “it was not until the 17th century that April Fool’s Day became a joke on the first of April”, indicate Nathalie Gendrot and Guillaume Meurice in Le fin mot de l’histoire, published on the first day of March in the year 2023, at Éditions Flammarion. “A custom whose origin remains rather vague”. And for good reason, the meaning of this expression would be multiple.

From a historical point of view, humor was celebrated during Hilaria festivals in Roman antiquity, but also in the Christian religion where fish were eaten before Easter, the animal that symbolizes Christ. Or according to a date change where the New Year was celebrated at the end of March, until 1564 under Charles IX. Today in popular culture, the first of April is placed under the sign of laughter and pranks.

On this occasion, children have fun making and scotching a paper fish behind your back… Without getting caught! As for adults who have not lost their child’s soul, they have fun playing pranks on their work colleague or friends. Want to surprise someone you know but lack inspiration? Don’t panic, we have the solution!

The internet is full of jokes of all kinds and some pranksters love to share their tricks in pictures. Planet reveals 15 totally eccentric photos to discover in our slideshow.