April Fool's Day today, a day when it is customary to tell well-intentioned lies due to custom. The story goes that April Fool's lies are a custom that has come to us from Europe.
There are various versions about the place and time this custom was born. Two of them, however, are the most prevalent.
According to the first version, the custom started with the Celts. A people of northwestern Europe, the Celts, were keen fishermen. The fishing season started on April 1st. However good fishermen they were, at this time of year fish are hard to catch. So they too, as commanded by the "code of ethics" of fishermen of all times, lied about how many fish they had caught. This habit became a custom over time.
The second version, which is considered to be more historically sound, wants the birthplace of the custom to be France in the 16th century. Until 1564 the French New Year was "April 1st". However, this year, and during the reign of Charles IX, this changed and January 1 was now considered New Year's Day. At first, not all citizens accepted this. The reactionaries continued to celebrate their now-old New Year's Day on April 1st, while the rest sent them New Year's gifts to mock them. This teasing turned into a custom over time.
The custom in Greece
This custom also came to Greece and was differentiated by acquiring a Greek aspect. The basic idea of course remained the same. We tell innocent lies in order to deceive our "victim". In some regions, it is believed that whoever manages to trick the other will have luck on their side for the rest of the year. In some others they believe that the "offender" will have a good harvest in his crops. Also, the rainwater of April Fool's Day, is considered by some to have healing properties. As for the "victim", it is believed that, unlike the "abuser", he will have a lump for the rest of the year and probably if he is married he will be widowed quickly.
According to the Greek folklorist Loukatos, this custom is a deliberate "deception of the harmful forces that would prevent any production" as is the beginning of the month for both March and April forcing many to take various "countermeasures" (preventive measures ). Also, the Greek folklorist G. Megas agrees that April Fool's Day "pseudology" misleads lurking forces of evil, so that it is considered by the people as an important condition of magnetic energy (attraction or repulsion) for an imminent success.