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Traditionally, in some countries such as New Zealand, the UK, Australia, and South Africa, the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an “April Fool”.
Elsewhere, such as in France, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Germany, Brazil, and the U.S., the jokes last all day.
The day is marked by pranks（恶作剧 ）, hoaxes（愚弄；欺骗）, and other practical jokes on friends, neighbors, colleagues, classmates, and family.
The aim is to embarrass the gullible（易受骗的；轻信的 ） - by sending them on fools' errands or by playing mischief, or causing embarrassment to them.
It is thought that this custom have started in 16th century in France.
In 1582 King Charles IX adopted a change in the calendar. The “new year” celebration was moved from April 1st to Jan 1st.
The people who knew about the change began to make fun of the ones who did not know. These people were called “fools”.
Someone believes that “ April Fool’s Day” derives from the trick that Cleopatra (埃及艳后) played on her lover Marco Antonio. She challenged him to a fishing competition but soon discovered that he was trying to cheat.
So she decided to attach a false fish to his hook to punish him.
