篇一：愚人节的来历英语版
愚人节的来历
[ 2007-03-31 17:46 ]
马上就要愚人节了。关于这个节日的来源有各种不同的说法，有人说与一群不愿接受公历纪年的法国保守者有关；也有人说它来源于纪念丰收女神的女儿被诱拐到地狱；还有人说，这个节日始于英国一个名叫“愚人村”的天才村民；另一些说法则认为春天的天气变化无常，因此人们在春分前后可以选择某一日颠倒乾坤，以荒诞的闹剧来迎接春神的到来……
以下关于“愚人节”的五种传说，其趣味各有千秋，至于哪种更为真实全凭您的亮眼一辨真伪喽！
As it was called years ago, All Fools' Day is observed in many countries around the world. The origin of April Fool's Day remains clouded in obscurity. But what is clear is that the tradition of a day devoted to foolery had ancient roots. As we look back in time, many ancient predecessors of April Fool's Day are found.
A French legendary
The most widespread theory about the
origin of April Fool's Day links the
Gregorian calendar reform.
In 1582 France became the first country to
switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. This meant that the beginning of the year was moved from the end of March to January 1. If someone failed to keep up with the change and continued to celebrate the New Year between March 25th and April 1st, various jokes would be played on him. This story might explain why April 1st specifically became the date of the modern holiday.
Mythological roots
There have been quite a few attempts to
provide mythological explanations for the
rise of April Fool's Day.
One story dates back to Roman mythology,
particularly the myth of Ceres (the Goddess of grain and the harvest) and Proserpina. In Roman mythology Pluto, the God of the Dead, abducted
Proserpina and brought her to live with him in the underworld. Proserpina called out to her mother Ceres for help, but Ceres, who could only hear the echo of her
daughter's voice, searched in vain for Proserpina. The fruitless search of Ceres for her daughter was commemmorated during the Roman festival of Cerealia and believed by some to have been the mythological antecedent of the fool's errands
popular on April 1st.
British folklore linked April Fool's Day to the town of
Gotham. According to the legend, it was traditional in
the 13th century for any road that the King travelled
over to become public property. People in Gotham
didn't want to lose their main road and spread a false
story to stop the King. A messenger was sent to
Gotham after King John learned the people's trick. But
when the messenger arrived in Gotham he found the
town was full of lunatics who were engaged in foolish
activities such as drowning fish or attempting to cage
birds in roofless fences. The King fell for the hoax and
declared the town too foolish to warrant punishment. And ever since then, April Fool's Day has supposedly commemmorated their trickery.
Anthropological explanations
Anthropologists and cultural historians provide their own explanations for the rise of April Fool's Day. According to them, the celebration traces its roots back to festivals marking the Springtime.
Spring is the time of year when the weather becomes fickle, as if Nature is playing tricks on man, and festivals occurring during the Spring traditionally mirrored this sense of whimsy and surprise. They often involved temporary inversions of the social order. Normal behavior no longer governed during the brief moment of transition as the old world died and the new cycle of seasons was born. Practical jokes,trickery, and the turning upside down of status expectations were all allowed.
In addition,the linkage between April Foolery and the Springtime is seen in another story that traces the origin of the custom back to the abundance of fish to be found in French streams during early April when the young fish had just hatched. These young fish were easy to fool with a hook and lure. Therefore, the French called them 'Poisson d'Avril' or 'April Fish.' Soon it became customary to fool people on April 1, as a way of celebrating the abundance of foolish fish.
(英语点津陈蓓编辑)
篇二：“愚人节”的来历与习俗
“愚人节”的来历与习俗
潍坊师范学校 鞠贵芹
每年4月1日，是西方也是美国的民间传统节日——愚人节。这一天人们可以开各种各样的玩笑，可以撒善意的谎，“骗”与“被骗者”最后都以哈哈一笑了之。
关于愚人节的来历有不同的说法。一种说法认为，在中世纪时，多数基督教国家都根据儒略历，把4月1日定为新年节日来庆祝，这一天，人们要互赠礼物致贺。十六世纪末到十七世纪初，法国率先改革纪年法，首先采用格里历，即目前通用的阳历，把1月1日作为一年之始。但一些保守的人士旧俗难改，反对这种改革，依然按照旧历固执地在4月1日这一天送礼品，庆祝新年。这个“新年”，便成了一个虚假的节日。有些爱恶作剧的人，干脆有意地把礼物也变成虚假的，举办假招待会，并把上当受骗的人称为“四月傻瓜”或“上钩的鱼”。从此人们在4月1日便互相愚弄，成为西方流行的风俗。18世纪初，愚人节习俗传到英国，接着又被英国的早期移民带到了美国。
另一种说法则认为，愚人节起源于一个希腊神话传说。农业女神得墨忒尔，有一个聪慧美丽、活泼可爱的女儿佩尔塞福涅。在爱神的撺掇下，冥王哈得斯不可遏止地爱上了佩尔塞福涅并抢走了她。得墨忒尔发了疯般地寻找女儿，但众神慑于哈得斯的威力，或者闭口不谈，或者撒谎欺骗她，使她找遍了每一个角落都见不到女儿的踪影。后来在太阳神赫利俄斯的帮助下，她才得以见到女儿。在这个故事里，得墨忒尔是一个十足的“傻瓜”。她不知道爱神的把戏，不知道哈尔斯的阴谋，又屡屡受众神所骗。此后，人们便据这个传说设立了愚人节，以示劝诫。
不管愚人节究竟来自哪个故事，它都无可遏制地成为人们喜欢的节日；而且约定俗成了各种看似荒诞的风俗。有的地方，在这一天人们会组织家庭聚会，用水仙花和雏菊装饰房间，用布景法布置出象圣诞、新年一类的假环境，互相“圣诞快乐”或“新年快乐”。还有的地方是举办别开生面的鱼宴：纸板做的彩色小鱼请帖，餐桌上小巧的钓鱼竿，挂着一条小鱼，或是装满糖果的鱼篮，作为礼物送给客人，而后饱食一顿百鱼宴。还有一种做假菜的风俗。青青的菜叶下也许是一瓶鸡尾酒，红红的西红柿色拉下面却可能卧着大盒冰淇淋。
随着时间的推移，愚人节作弄人的手法，也是花样翻新，新意百出。不过愚人节最典型的活动还是大家互相开玩笑，用假话捉弄“愚人”。这一天，人们可以无所顾忌地设计恶作剧捉弄人，甚至报纸、电台也可以报道假新闻，被骗的人也不会生气，反而认为自己是最幸福最有好运的人。而且被骗者还被赋予了许
多可爱的称谓，诸如在苏格兰冠以“布谷鸟”之美名，法国人则俏皮地称之为“四月鱼”，可能是取其如四月小鱼，糊里糊涂地见饵就吞，容易上钩之意。 节日是人类日常生活的精华，如一条条隔离带将冗长的、重复的日子，分成一个个“区域”，并通过一定的方式赋予它丰富美好的内涵，，表现人们的情感需要在某种程度上体现了文化的民族传统与地域特色。试想，紧张劳动了一年的人们，终日蹙眉凝神的人们，一年中有这样一天可以放下所有的禁忌，如淘气的孩童般任性一回，不也是别一种幸福与轻松吗？
篇三：愚人节来历
愚人节来历
April Fools' Day is a day to play jokes on others. No one knows how this holiday began but people think it first started in France.
In the 16th century, people celebrated New Year's Day from March 25 to April 1. In the mid—1560s King Charles IX changed it from March 25 to January 1. But some people still celebrated in on April 1, so others called them April Fools.
Each country celebrates April Fools' Day differently. In France, people call the April Fools "April Fish". They tape a paper fish to their friends' backs to fool them. When he or she finds this, they shout "April Fish!"
In England, people play jokes only in the morning. You are a "noodle" if someone fools you. In Scotland, April Fools' Day is 48 hours long. They call an April Fool "April Gowk". Gowk is another name for a cuckoo bird.
In the America, people play small jokes on their friends and any other people on the first of April. They may point down to your shoe and say, "Your shoelace is untied."
If you believe them and look down to see, you are an April Fool then.
愚人节又称万愚节，已经有几百年的历史了。关于节日的起源，众说纷纭。其中最为流行的说法认为愚人节起源于法国。
十六世纪的法国，人们在4月1日这天过新年，互赠礼物，举办晚会，庆祝新年。当时的庆祝方法与现在相差无几。1582年，法国国王查理九世决定采用一种新的历法——格高利历法，新年改在1月1日。在新历法的推行过程中，各地仍有一些人或是不原意接受新历法，或是不知道这一日期的更改，仍然在4月1日这天过新年。其他的人便捉弄他们，赠送他们假礼物，邀请他们参加假庆祝晚会，骗他们去跑腿，或使他们对某种根本不存在的事情信以为真。这些受骗的人被称为“四月愚人”。
从此，人们在4月1日这一天便互相愚弄，日久天长，便成为法国流行的风俗。十八世纪初，“愚人节”的习俗传到英国。后来，随着英国移民又传到了美国。随着时间的流逝，这一习俗已经成为国际性节日，在欧洲、北美许多国家都流行。这一天，人们可以不拘一格地“轻松”一下。当然愚弄人的手法也是花样百出。
关于受愚弄的人，在不同的国家给予不同的称呼。大部分人都称他们为“四月愚人”。但有时，有的国家也有其他的称呼。在法国人们把上当者称为“四月鱼”，可能是因为四月里，鱼最容易上钩的缘故吧；而在英国的苏格兰，则称为“布谷鸟”，可能是指一只呆鸟吧。
同时，有的国家虽然不过“愚人节”，但也有类似
的节日。在罗马，曾有“嬉乐节”，在3月25日。
而印度有“欢悦节”，在3月31日。这些节日和
愚人节类似。有趣的是，这些节日都在春天，所
以，有人说这些节日与“春分”有关，因为这时的天气变化无常，让人琢磨不透，有些捉弄人的感觉。墨西哥也有“愚人节”，不过是在12月18日。
愚人节英语笑话
1. Why are people tired on April Fools' Day? 愚人节人们为什么疲倦?
答：Because they have just had a long March. 因为他们刚过了长长的三月。（March在这里指“行军”)
2.What weather do mice and rats fear? 老鼠害怕什么天气? 答：When it's raining cats and dogs.下大雨。（rain cats and dogs 下大雨)
3.When do dogs refuse to follow their masters? 狗什么时候不愿跟随主人?
答：When their masters go to the flea market.主人去跳蚤市场时。（flea market 旧货市场)
4.What question can never be answered by "yes"? 哪个问题永远不能回答“是的”?
答：Are you asleep? 你睡着了吗？
5.What tree is always very sad? 哪种树总是很伤心?
答：Weeping willow. 垂柳 （weep哭泣 willow柳树)
6.When can you get water with a net? 什么时候可以用网兜装水?
答：When water is turned into ice. 当水结成冰时。
7.Why is the pig always eating? 猪为什么没完没了地吃? 答：He's making a hog of himself.它想成为一只肉猪。
8.What's the longest word in the world? 世界上最长的单词是什么?
答：Smiles. Because there's a mile between the letter "s".微笑。因为两个字母S中间隔了一英里。
9.What question is that to which you must always answer "yes"? 什么问题你只能回答“yes”?
答："What does y-e-s spell?" (当别人问你)“yes”怎么拼?
10.Where were you when the power was cut off? 停电的时候你在哪?
答：In the darkness. 在黑暗中。
《愚人节的由来》出自：百味书屋
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