April Fools

So, how many of you are going to be caught out today? It's unlikely I shall as here in Spain this is not the day for joke playing, that is reserved for the 28th December.

There have been many famous jokes over the years, for instance who could ever forget the spaghetti growing on trees in Italy one from the BBC? But do you know the origins of the day?

Some think it goes back to Noah and the flood. It is suggested that he let the first dove free on the 1st of April, but the joke was on him as it didn't come back having found land.

There is also reportedly a reference to the day in Chaucer's Nun's Priest Tale of 1392.

The first reference in France is from 1508, where April Fools day is known as Poisson d'Avril.

And in Scotland the day was once known as Huntigowk Day, a corruption of "Hunt the Gowk", Gowk being another name for cuckoo, thus hunt the cuckoo, or fool.