The first of April is celebrated as Fools Day and it is common practice across many cultures to play tricks on your family and friends.
It is well accepted that April Fool’s Day originated after the Gregorian calendar moved the date of the New Year from the March Equinox to January 1st.
If you were celebrating the New Year in accordance to the Equinox on March 25th, you were labelled a “fool” and would consequently be made fun of.
But, could it be that this is not the real origin of this day of foolery?
April Fool’s Day was believed to have started in Europe and was actually a celebration of the Norse God Loki.
Loki was known to be a trickster God and a shapeshifter. At times he would work alongside the other Gods and Goddesses and other times he would rebel. There really was no telling what type of mischief or support Loki would bring.
Loki was not considered to be a trustworthy God, but he was necessary for change. Loki was believed to be the God that brought the chaos before a big change or new beginning.
Even though change was seen as a very positive thing, the havoc and confusion brought before the change was believed to be the doing of Loki.
People would celebrate Loki around the time of April in order to celebrate the idea of new beginnings and changes. They celebrated Loki as a way of honoring the necessity and growth that is achieved through change.
It was also believed by tricking others and playing pranks on others, it would fool the evil spirits so they would not interfere with the many fertility rituals that were being conducted at the time.
Fertility was highly regarded and considered extremely sacred in ancient times and it was believed that the start of the astrological year was a highly fertile time for all of Mother Earth.
This was especially true in Europe, as people were also welcoming in the starting of Spring. It was at this time that crops were planted, babies were conceived and new beginnings were celebrated.
Easter also has its roots imbedded in the fertility celebrations that occurred from late March all the way through to the end of April. This is seen in the use of fertility symbols from eggs to rabbits.
Seeing as this was such a precious time in regards to fertility, it was believed by playing along with the trickster God Loki, it would fool the evil spirits and distract them from interrupting fertility rituals.
By playing pranks on others, the evil spirits would be confused and the people could conceive and plant crops without the fear of negative energy.
While there is no concrete evidence that April Fool’s Day is the celebration of Loki, the energy of all of this seems to fit.
The March Equinox definitely symbolises a time of new beginnings, so if you have been feeling the chaos before the change, if you have been feeling like the Universe has been playing a prank on you for the last few months, perhaps take a moment to honor Loki and these words from Deepak Chopra-
“Every great change is preceded by chaos.”
