April Fools!

April Fools Day is not a national holiday (thankfully) but it is certainly celebrated.  Frequently, radio shows, newspapers, and magazines put in “joke” articles on that date involving topics and situations that can’t possibly be true.  Of course, ultimately, there are people who take it seriously, but hopefully those people are few and far between.  Most people can recognize an April Fools joke and take it for what it is, a cause to laugh.  The more you laugh, the longer you live.  Since I find everything funny, I fully expect to live to be 200 (that’s a joke!).  This year, April Fools is also Easter Monday, so that might impede some jokesters, but keep your eyes peeled just in case.

No one is quite sure when it became popular to play jokes on one another on April 1^st, known as April Fools Day in the United States.  We’re also not the only country to use this day as a day for hoaxes and pranks, either.  Italy, France, and Belgium follow the tradition of sticking paper fish on unsuspecting people’s back and shouting “April Fish!” (Aprilvis! In Dutch, in case you need to know).  A Flemish tradition allows children to lock out their parents and teachers, only letting them in if they promise to give treats.   Don’t share that with your children!

Iran, Poland, Scotland, Denmark, Sweden, and Spain also celebrate joke days.  In Poland, serious activities are so frowned upon that a 1683 treaty signed by Leopold I on April 1^st had to be backdated to March 31^st because it was  too serious to take place on a day of silliness.  In Iran, the joke day falls on the 13^th day of the Persian New Year, which happens to coincide with April 1^st or 2^nd.  The day is called Sizdah Bedar and is the oldest pranking tradition in the world.  In fact, it is entirely possible that their tradition spread throughout the world, beginning the entire holiday.

There have been references to April Fools Day in literature going as far back as the 1390s.  In Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Chauntecleer the vain rooster is tricked by a fox in the Nun’s Tale, which begins “Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two,” which could very well mean April 1^st, or thirty two days after the beginning of March.  The year 1508 marks the first reference of April Fish, and 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to see someone wash the lions. 

Please remember that if you decide to play a joke, it should be in good fun and not intended to hurt feelings or harm anyone – yes, that’s a disclaimer.  Do NOT try this at home…

For those of you who are Harry Potter fans, April 1^st is George and Fred Weasley’s birthday.  So were Ali McGraw (1939), Debbie Reynolds (1932), Annette O’Toole (1952), and Jon Gosselin (1977). 

You never know when your local librarians may go crazy…there might be a joke just for you!

Your Library Account: If you have an email, register it with your library card by calling the library at 507-825-6714 or by logging in to your account online and requesting a change!  By putting an email on your card, you will automatically get reminders when your books are overdue and you will also get an email the moment a book on hold is checked in for you at the desk!  We do not use your emails for any other purpose and our system is private.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Tonight, March 28^th, we are having another technology night at the library!  Bring any device you need help with and we’ll see what we can do.  6:30 is our start time and we’ll go as long as we need to help everyone!

PAFL Update:  Pipestone Area Friends of the Library is looking for members – anyone who is a friend to Meinders Library is welcome to join!  The Friends group works hard to promote the library, raise money for projects, and organize their yearly book sale, in addition to the HUGE amount of support they provide throughout the year.  Give us a call to find out the date of the next meeting!

Book Club Reminder: The book club meets the last Thursday of the month.  Their next meeting will be March 28^th at 7:00 in the Meinders Library conference room.  Please don’t hesitate to call the library for a copy of the next book, Quiet by Susan Cain.

If you have questions or have a book you’d like to reserve or renew, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at (507) 825-6714.  The hours for Meinders Library are Monday through Thursday from 10 AM – 8 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 10 AM – 5 PM.  Meinders Community Library is located at 1401 7^th Street SW, on the south side of the high school.