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April Fools' Day (sometimes called All Fools' Day) is celebrated every year on 1 April by playing practical jokes  and spreading  hoaxes . The jokes and their victims are called April fools. People playing April Fool jokes expose their prank by shouting “ April Fool”. Some newspapers, magazines, and other published media report fake stories, which are usually explained the next day or below the news section in small letters. Although popular since the 19th century, the day is not a public holiday  in any country.

The custom of setting aside a day for the playing of harmless pranks upon one's neighbor is recognized everywhere. 

 In the UK, an April Fool joke is revealed by shouting "April fool!" at the recipient, who becomes the "April fool". A person playing a joke after midday is the "April fool" themselves.

In Scotland, April Fools' Day was traditionally called 'Huntigowk Day'. The traditional prank is to ask someone to deliver a sealed message that supposedly requests help of some sort. In fact, the message reads "Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile." The recipient, upon reading it, will explain he can only help if he first contacts another person, and sends the victim to this next person with an identical message, with the same result.

In England ‘fool’ is known by different names according to the part where it is celebrated. If you are fooled on this day you may be known as ‘noodle’, ‘gob’, ‘gobby’ or ‘noddy’.

In Ireland it was traditional to entrust the victim with an "important letter" to be given to a named person. That person would then ask the victim to take it to someone else, and so on. The letter when finally opened contained the words "send the fool further".

April Fool’s Day is here.
It is a day of fun.
If you are really clever.
You can fool someone!

Or someone may come
and tell a word to you.
And you may say
“Oh, no! Oh, no!”

But then they look at you
With a sly grin.
And that is when
Their fun begins!

“April’s fool!” they shout.
And then they laugh at you.
It is so much fun.
And you laugh too!