Isn’t it ironic that this year’s first issue comes out on April 1, on April Fools’ Day? Still we promise to provide you with the freshest and correct information in our newspaper, even in this issue. Frankly, we were tempted to make up some incredible news as an April 1 joke, but decided to leave it to our readers.
One of the versions why April 1 is celebrated as April Fools ’ Day is that this day was the beginning of the year and later shifted to January 1, so people who still celebrated New Year’s Day on April 1 were regarded as fools.
Making jokes is not an easy job. Making good jokes is actually a talent. It’s for a reason, isn’t it, that some people are paid pretty good money to be listened to as they joke. But April Fools’ Day is a special day when everyone can try their entertainer and humorist talent and not be booed or offended at.
On April 1 you can become a victim of various unexpected jokes. Usually a joke consists of 2 messages: the first one gives a person some information which is supposed to upset him or make his day; the second part is usually told a person when the information is kind of digested, and tells him that the first sentence was all lies. As for me, to give a person some news which make him happy and then disappoint him screaming “Happy April Fool’s Day!” is better than to scare him to death first and then, on his way to a local hospital by ambulance, give him a relief by confessing that it was a joke. Imagine telling your friend, who’s just passed medical check-up, that you’ve just spoken to his doctor and he is very sorry about the results and wants to talk to him personally.
The history of April Fools’ Day is rich with the examples of “overjokes”, when the jokers sometimes were injured by their “victims” themselves.
Though tradition of celebrating April 1 as an April Fools ’ Day is not as widespread in Turkey as in the Western world, still young Turkish people try to keep up with the world. Joking on your Turkish friends, remember: any jokes about football are not advisable. Football in Turkey is a holy topic, as holy as religion and political opinions.
People with the best sense of humor in Turkey are reported to live at Black Sea region. They don’t need to wait for April 1 to joke. They say that the reason they can make fun out of everything is a big amount of phosphorus in Black Sea, which is known to develop human brain.
Hope you’ve had a lot of fun on April 1, too.
So, how do people in your country celebrate April Fools’ Day and what was your most successful joke of the day?