恶作鬼和受骗精请注意！愚人节来啦！ Jokers Revel and Gullible Beware! It's April Fools' Day!
April Fools' Day, while not an official holiday, is a day when kids and pranksters[顽皮的人] shine. Kids just can't seem to resist pulling off[努力实现] a good joke on Mom, Dad, or best friends. Even adults like to get in on[参加] the action and will come up with elaborate[精心制作的] schemes[阴谋] to prank[开玩笑] unsuspecting[不怀疑的] friends and family. So, how did we come to celebrate this day? Here is a little bit about the history of the beloved April Fools' Day.
四月愚人节虽然不是法定节日，却是孩子们和恶作鬼大放异彩的日子。孩子们似乎抵挡不了诱惑，总想给妈妈爸爸或是最要好的朋友们开个有趣的玩笑。即使是大人也乐于参与其中，挖空心思地想出一些鬼点子来捉弄未曾起疑的亲友。那么，这个节日是怎样兴起的呢？下面我们来谈一下关于这个深受大家喜爱的愚人节的历史吧！
History of April Fools' Day
愚人节的历史
You may think that April Fools' has been only celebrated more recently, but that is not true. In fact, April Fools' Day has a longer history than some other holidays celebrated, such as Mother's Day.
你也许会认为人们在近些年才开始庆祝愚人节，但事实并非如此。实际上，比起其他一些节日来，譬如母亲节，庆祝愚人节的历史要长得多。
While the origin of April Fools' Day is not exactly known, it is clear that this day of pranks has been observed since around 1582 in France. When Charles Ⅸ ruled, the Gregorian calendar注1 was introduced and New Year's Day was moved from April 1st to January 1st. People continued to celebrate on April 1st, either not knowing the calendar had been changed or not caring. Those people were often referred to as “fools” for celebrating a day that no longer existed. Still, they set a trend known around the world and April Fools' became commonplace in many households.
尽管愚人节的确切起源并不为人所知，但有一点很明确——大约从1582年起，法国人就已经庆祝这个恶作剧之日了。在国王查理九世统治期间，格里高利历被引入法国，而元旦也从4月1日移到了元月1日。然而在4月1日这天，也许是不知道历法已经被改动，或许是根本不在意，人们继续举行庆祝活动。这些人常常被称为“愚人”，因为他们庆祝一个不再存在的节日。尽管如此，他们掀起了一股举世皆知的潮流，愚人节也成为了家喻户晓的节日。
Who Celebrates April Fools' Day?
谁是愚人节玩家？
It is interesting to note that many countries celebrate this day of pranks, but pranks and jokes do vary from country to country. For example, if you are in Portugal, don't be surprised if your best friend throws handfuls of flour at you. Morning time is when the best pranks take place in England. If you fall victim[受害人] to a prank there, you are called a “noodle[傻瓜],” and if you forget to play your joke on someone in the morning, then you must remember not to do so after noontime, or bad luck will fall on you.
有趣的是，虽然许多国家都会庆祝这个恶作剧之日，但每个国家的恶作剧和玩笑却不尽相同。比如说，在葡萄牙，如果你最要好的朋友拿着大把大把的面粉扔你，你可千万不要感到惊讶哦。而在英国，早上是最佳的恶作剧时间。在当地，如果你成为了恶作剧的牺牲品，人们会叫你“傻瓜”；而如果你早上忘了戏弄某人，那么一定要记住中午之后千万别这么做，否则就会倒霉哦。
Of course, in the United States, April Fools' Day is an all day affair. Pranks and jokes can range from very mild to very elaborate. There are actually many accounts of elaborate pranks that have made the news. One story tells of a fast food restaurant taking out a full-page advertisement in The New York Times, declaring it had purchased the Liberty Bell注2 and renamed it Taco Liberty Bell in an effort to help reduce the national debt.
当然了，在美国，这一天从早到晚都可以开玩笑。恶作剧和玩笑既可以简单温和，也可以是经过精心策划的。事实上，有许多煞费苦心设计出来的恶作剧成了新闻话题。其中一个故事是这样的：一间快餐店在《纽约时报》上用一整版登出一则消息，声称为了帮助减轻国家债务，它已经买下了独立钟，并将其更名为“塔克独立钟”。
注1：现行公历即格里高利历，是由意大利医生兼哲学家里利乌斯（Aloysius Lilius）改革儒略历制定的历法，由教皇格里高利十三世在1582年颁行。
注2：指美国费城独立厅的大钟，1776年7月4日鸣此钟宣布美国独立，1835年破损，现存于费城独立厅。