- DURATION 60 mins
Event Description
Most of us are familiar with April Fools' Day (or All Fools' Day), which falls on 1st April each year. The annual custom consists of practical jokes and hoaxes, the object being to trick friends, family or work colleagues into activities which they believe are genuine, but are actually staged pranks. This is usually followed by the instigator shouting 'April Fool' at the "victim" in question!
Marking the day is historically common throughout the world, but do we know how the custom of April Fools' Day began? In fact there are a number of different accounts of its' origins - one of which links it as far back as Noah's Ark! Another version says it is linked with part of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales and the Dutch people have their own theory, associated with events in The Netherlands during the 16th century.
In eighteenth century Britain, tails (yes, this is the correct spelling of the word!) were particularly popular, and the year 1957 is particularly remembered by those in Britain who are old enough. We will discover why!
- Duration: 60 mins
- Online Zoom event: Join from your computer, phone or tablet (no replay available)
Meet the Host, Margaret
Margaret has taught as a qualified lecturer in further, higher and adult education for over 33 years, and currently teaches English Literature and History in adult education. For many years, she has given talks to various different clubs, societies and other organisations, including Rotary and Probus Clubs, U3A’s, WI’s, Townswomen’s Guilds and Archaeological & Historical Societies. She writes a book review each month and contributes short local history topics for a community radio station, alongside writing published articles for the Brontë Society, the Jane Austen Society, Community Archives and the British Association for Local History. Her aim is that her talks are informative and interesting, with a touch of humour!
Resources
Fools Rush In - a History of April Fools' Day has supplementary learning materials provided by the event host. Once you book an event, you will get access to these resources.
More Information
What if I can’t make the event?
If a recording’s available for the event, you can still register for it and we will send you an email with a link to a recording shortly after it ends.
Will my camera be on and will I be visible to the other people?
Your camera and microphone does not need to be on for you to enjoy the event. The choice about whether to do this is completely yours.
How do I watch the live event?
Rest Less events are hosted on Zoom, a computer application that allows you to attend online events just by clicking a link. For detailed instructions, please go to our "FAQ" page, which you can find a link to in the nav bar at the top of the page.
How do I sign-up for and access the recording? (Recorded events only)
Book the event as normal (as if you are attending live). After the event ends you will automatically receive a post-event email with a link to the recording, as long as the event was recorded. You do not need to do anything else and there is no separate booking process for recordings only. Please note it can take up to 24 hours for Zoom to process recordings.