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origin As it was called years ago, All Fools Day is observed in many countries around the world. The origin of April Fools 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 Fools Day are found. A? French legendary ?（传说 ） The most widespread theory about the origin of April Fools 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 Fools 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 daughters 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 fools errands popular on April 1st. British folklore linked April Fools 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 didnt 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 peoples trick. But when the mes