Fooling or being fooled
Although the dates vary in certain countries, the sentiment behind April Fools stays the same. How is it celebrated in other countries? And what kind of pranks did they enjoy in the past?
Reiji Hoken, 19 (Japan) & Muhammad Suensson, 21 (Sweden) – International Bachelor of Economics & Business Economics
Reiji: “I called my mother last night and told her I was going to be a father. She reacted pretty although she was quite angry at first. When it comes to people pranking me, girlfriends in the past have also pranked me by saying they were pregnant. I would freak out and just Google all sorts of stuff until they finally said that none of it was true.”
Muhammad: “I’m from Sweden and normally television broadcasters and newspapers putting false information is a big tradition. One of the most famous one was the hoax where they claimed that if you put a nylon stocking around your TV set you could see the images in color and people believed it. That one is probably my favorite prank. Pranks we did when we were younger were far less elaborate, like changing the times on the clocks.”
Raquel, 25 (Spain) & Lys, 24 (Spain) Masters of Economics.
Lys: “In Spain we celebrate April Fools on the 28th of December and it’s called The Day of the Innocent. What we do sometimes is get figured cut-outs and tape them on people’s back. It’s something people of all ages do. We also have a lot of TV broadcasters or newspapers announcing fake news and telling the public it’s not true at the end of the day.”
Raquel: “Every year they come up with new things as outrageous as a zombie attack in villages people haven’t heard of and adding fake evidence to it. With social media around today you also get instant reactions of skepticism or actual shock. It’s a lot of fun.”
Selma van Slobbe, 21 (Rotterdam) International Bachelor of Communication and Media
“I grew up in Rotterdam and when I was younger April Fools was something we always enjoyed. The day before everybody would be excited for April fools. We played little pranks against one another and sometimes the teacher would switch around assigned seats in class. Today, I guess I see it as something for younger kids. Still, people are aware of it, for instance a girl announced her wedding on April 1st on Facebook and some comments on that were, ‘oh is this for April Fools’? It’s not ignored but it’s just not as celebrated.” NAH
