Hi everyone! Did you enjoy your trip to space to meet our trusty alien friend, Neoma? APRIL FOOLS’!

I’m sure you’ve been playing or receiving many pranks from your friends this April Fools’. Did your shoes go missing? Did you wake up with spiders crawling on your bed? Has the date on your calendar suddenly changed? Don’t worry, these must be all pranks! Our marvellously clever minds can make up all sorts of pranks. Sometimes we’re out of luck, and tricks and lies start travelling our way. 

This all sounds so fun, doesn’t it? The sound of your wand not working in the middle of your charms lesson. Imagine! Why do we even celebrate it, though? Is there even any point in doing so? I have a very clear answer to that question, and you’ll be an expert on April Fools’ if you keep reading. 

As most of you know, April Fools’ Day is celebrated on the 1st of April. Despite that, people don’t follow the rules. Normally, you see pranks spreading every single day during April, not just the 1st. Now everything has some history behind it, including this jolly and amusing celebration. 

I did say that everything has a history, right? However, April Fools' Day exact history is still shrouded in mystery. Some historians think that this celebration dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. People who didn’t get this news back then or just simply didn’t understand that the start of the new year had moved to January 1st and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1st became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April fools’.” This meant having paper fish placed on their back, which in French was ‘poisson d’avril’ (April fish) was meant to symbolise an easily caught fish and a gullible person.

We have also linked April Fools’ Day to another festival, ‘Hilaria’ (Latin for joyful) which was celebrated in Ancient Rome at the end of March. People dressed up in disguise and even mocked citizens. Others say it was to do with the vernal equiNox, or the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This was when Mother Nature fooled people with unpredictable weather. 

April Fools’ Day started spreading through Britain in the 18th century, and in Scotland it became a two-day event. Starting with “hunting the gowk,” in which people were sent on phoney errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which involved pranks played on people's derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or “kick me” signs on them.

There's lots of information to keep in mind for a one-day festival, don’t you think? Just so all of you remember, we mustn't play any pranks on anyone that might hurt them. All of us want this day to be fun, joyful, and, of course, full of pranks! Next time, I’ll be sharing with you an article on the increasing sales of centaurs. 

Ok, ok, I’m just joking around. APRIL FOOLS’!

I have a few replies to my question, 'We were wondering what your favorite item from Zonko's Joke Shop or Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes?', from some of the students at Hogwarts:

Anna Noyce- Hey Kyra,

Nice to meet you! I would say that my favourite item would be the Smart answer quills, which are really useful when writing a long essay. Hope that you have a good week,

Anna

Hermione J. Wilkins- Hi Kyra,

I have a few favourite items from both shops. Specifically, I adore 'Penelope's Purple Pussy Cats', 'Sunny Spells', and 'Umbridge on Unicycle' from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. I also have a fond memory of receiving a 'Bewildering Can of Mystery' from Zonko's Joke Shop in Hogsmeade, although it seems that this product is no longer available.

I hope this has been helpful.

Warm regards, Hermione.

Ellie Potter- Hi, Kyra, my favourite is Nose-biting teacup. It's connected to my two favourite things tea and pranks. What can be better!

Best wishes and good luck with the Magazine,

Ellie

JOURNALIST-Kyra