On April 1, people all over the world celebrate a cheerful and noisy holiday - the Day of Laughter and Humor. On this day it is customary to play pranks on everyone around. Relatives, acquaintances, colleagues. Jokes should be harmless so that the person being joked on has fun too. The origin of the holiday is Germany; it was from there that sewn-on pajamas and chalk-stained backs came to us. Many countries attribute such a wonderful international holiday to themselves, and believe that the Germans do not know how to laugh at all, since in Germany there is the only School of Laughter in the world. But that's not true. The Germans love this holiday very much and have as much fun as anyone else. It is believed that Baron Munchausen, a famous humorous character, is a collective image from various April Fools' pranks. For the Germans, April 1 is associated with a historical date. In 1530, a financial reform took place, which closed the sources of income for many dishonest entrepreneurs. For those affected by the changes, April 1 became a serious life test, because they had quite a hard time. People just laughed at the awkward businessmen, calling them “fools.” In the old days, April 1 was considered a tragic date, and women who gave birth to children on April 1 were empathized with, since this is the date of birth of Judas, and the babies will face an unfortunate fate. In the Bible, April 1 is the date of the exorcism of the devil, and this is already a huge reason for joy. In addition to people, the media also like to joke. Once, even from blue screens in Germany, it was said that when watching color TV it is better to wear sunglasses, since the radiation from the screen gives the effect of a strong tan. And in 1774, on April 1, one German newspaper wrote that you can not paint eggs for the Easter table, but simply keep chickens in a room of any color with different temperatures, then they will become multi-colored and lay colored eggs. It would seem that the joke was obvious, but many then put the advice into practice. Different countries have their own celebration traditions. In England, for example, jokes and pranks are practiced only before noon, and then comedians who continue to have fun after lunch are called “fools.” In Russia, the first April Fool's Day prank was in 1703 in Moscow, when heralds walked the streets inviting people to a fun performance. And then a poster with congratulations on the holiday was hung out to those gathered in anticipation of the performance. People come up with all sorts of pranks on this day, but they are all harmless and funny. People all over the world love this holiday, because laughter prolongs life.

Our feathered friends have no idea about the existence of a calendar, nor that they have a special date in this calendar. One way or another, people feel both a responsibility and a need for a day dedicated to birds. Therefore, on April 1, the society celebrates International Bird Day. The holiday is held under the auspices of UNESCO and is part of a special program of the organization called “Man and the Biosphere”. The date April 1 was chosen as typical for the return of migratory birds from wintering grounds. Of course, all birds do this on different days and based on different circumstances. The rooks are the first to return; upon their arrival, people noticed the imminent end of the cold weather. The rook uses a front of warm air to move, as if it “sits” on it and allows the flow to carry itself to where the masses with elevated temperatures go. Therefore, since the rooks have returned, then warmth is just around the corner, they come together. Traditionally, people prepared for a revival in the bird world, building houses and feeders for birds, realizing that after winter the birds would have nowhere and nothing to profit from, and also nowhere to live. The starling turned out to be the most grateful resident of artificial houses; he more willingly settled in simple man-made dwellings created for him by man than others. Therefore, any small bird house made by people is now commonly called a birdhouse. In addition to calling for help in providing shelter and food, International Bird Day is intended to draw attention to the problems created by humanity for the bird world for the sake of its comfort. People exterminated birds either intentionally, hunting for meat, eggs or spectacular feathers. Or indirectly, by introducing predators or parasites into the habitat of one or another species, which harm the birds to the point of their complete extinction. How it happened with the pigeon-shaped dodo, the original inhabitant of the island of Mauritius. Now this bird does not exist on the planet. This is because since 1507, since the discovery of the island, the population has been systematically and thoughtlessly destroyed without the possibility of restoration. Feeling their responsibility and calling for careful attitude, scientists represented by international ornithological organizations and communities draw attention to the fact that in any type of human activity it is necessary to take into account the harm caused to the natural habitat of birds. Environmental pollution, drainage of swamps, uncontrolled hunting - all this is widely covered every year on April 1. The history of the development of the movement to help birds in Russia is still short. The so-called May Unions were organized, designed to study, protect and help birds. The idea originated in the late nineteenth century, developed in the early twentieth, and was widely adopted until the Second World War. After which it briefly resurrected and disappeared in the 70s of the twentieth century. The revival of the holiday in 1999 could become a new milestone in the reunification of man with nature, not only at the level of creating the Red Book, but also through specific actions and deeds.

On the first day of April, connoisseurs of the exquisite alcoholic drink cognac celebrate his birthday. This drink is the pride of France; it is created in strict accordance with technology. It is a type of brandy, i.e., a wine distillate, made not only from a specific grape variety, but also in a certain area - the town of Cognac, located in the Charente department. The date for Cognac Day was not chosen by chance. It is related to the technology of its production, determined by the regulations. The regulations were first created in 1909, and it is in it that the area in which real cognac can be produced is designated. All other drinks produced outside the Charente department have no right to be called cognac. Manufacturers must market them as brandy. According to the generally accepted norm, the wine distillate, which is cognac, must withstand the entire winter. And in the spring the drink needs to be poured into barrels. Moreover, this must be done strictly before April 1. Otherwise, the production process will be disrupted and the valuable product will be damaged. This requirement is due to the changeable spring weather in the region. Warming and temperature fluctuations are detrimental to the drink. It is from April 1 that the aging or maturation of cognac begins. It starts at one in the morning, when the distillation of new wine from the latest harvest officially stops. According to French law, the minimum period of aging in the cellar is 2 years. Only after this the drink can be served to the table. Before this, it is not considered ready for consumption. Cognac is aged exclusively in oak barrels charred from the inside, and not any wood is suitable for making barrels. They are made by hand from oak trees over 80 years old that grow in the Limousin and Tronçais forests. The maximum aging period is not limited, but usually does not exceed 70 years. After 70 years in an oak barrel, the characteristics of the drink no longer change, so there is no point in further aging. Cognac Day is a holiday little known to the general public. Only true gourmets know about it - connoisseurs of this type of brandy, as well as its producers. This date is celebrated on a grand scale only in the homeland of cognac - in the city of the same name in the Charente department. There are folk festivals, performances and performances by artists. Cognac tastings are always held. Celebrate cognac's birthday with a glass of this exquisite drink with a rich history. You can drink it in the traditional French way - with chocolate, good coffee and a cigarette, or in the Russian manner - with a slice of lemon. Residents and guests of Moscow can also visit the Museum of the History of Cognac, located at the KiN wine and cognac factory.

International holidays - Mathematics Day

If you imagine yourself awakened and excited, you can easily understand what it feels like for a brownie on the first day of April. All winter he slept in warmth and comfort, only occasionally, on his own initiative, crawling out from under the blanket and establishing the order necessary and sufficient for the cold. But then the spring equinox arrived, people began to actively celebrate the arrival of warmth, they did this for ten whole days. By the first of April, spring was considered to have finally come into its own. It was on this day that it was necessary to awaken the home spirit from winter hibernation, so that the keeper of comfort would maintain order and protect the house, because most household members go to the field. Of course, the brownie could not like this. He was out of sorts, dissatisfied with everything, grumbled and could even act out mischief out of frustration. Spots suddenly appeared on clothes, horses' manes became tangled, grain spilled out of sacks, pots broke, and handles caught on the housewives' hems. All this was considered the tricks of the domestic spirit. The brownie is known for his cleanliness and neatness. He is a big fan of eating delicious food and laughing heartily at a good joke. To appease the small owner of the house, large-scale work was carried out on the premises. They sorted through the supplies, checking that they had not spoiled or become moldy. They hung mattresses, mattresses, blankets and bedspreads in the sun. We washed bedding and winter clothes. They lifted the furniture so that all corners became accessible and carefully swept them out. Then the house was disinfected with essential oil herbs: wormwood, juniper. They went to the bathhouse to steam so that they could come to a clean home clean and washed. Afterwards a hearty lunch was arranged, but before that the brownie was buttered with rich pastries, porridge, milk and bread. While cooking, they were supposed to fool around and joke with each other: wear clothes turned inside out (just like a brownie does, he wears a caftan with the seams facing out), put on different shoes, and play kind and good-natured pranks. Then the brownie grandfather stopped being angry, finally woke up, took upon himself the responsibility of keeping the hearth, became well-fed, complacent, friendly and completely satisfied. This is where the saying comes from that you can’t trust anyone on the first of April. For it is not clear whether the household and neighbors are telling the truth, or playing it out for the amusement of the awakened domestic spirit. The explanations for the emergence of this tradition are simple. Over the winter, a lot of rubbish has accumulated at home, something has decayed, something has become unusable. It's time to sort through your things, dry everything damp and damp in direct sunlight, get rid of rodents, insects and mold. That is, to prepare for spring and the fact that now there will be no time to stay in the home, because the time for agricultural work begins. This means doing some general cleaning. Of course, all household members get in each other’s way; our ancestors did not live in such spacious dwellings. It’s easier to get through this day through jokes, jokes and irony. And also under the motto that order is needed by some unclean (and therefore powerful) force and it is better not to mess with it, to clean up the home, since experienced and wise ancestors called for the same.

The history of the holiday dates back to the turning point of 1571, when the power of the Venetians in Cyprus was replaced by the Turkish, and the island was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. It belonged to the Turks until 1878, when rights were transferred to Great Britain as a result of a secret defensive alliance against Russia. During the same period, the Cypriot movement for the unification of their homeland with Greece was born. But hopes were not destined to come true. The island's fate was sealed in 1914 by the powerful Great Britain, which forcibly seized Cyprus, declaring annexation. And in 1923, Great Britain confidently declared the island its colony, proclaiming a new Constitution. Only several decades later was a patriot found who could change the course of history. He was Georgios Grivas, a retired officer of the Greek army. He headed the “National Organization of Cypriot Independence Fighters”, the official start date of which was April 1, 1955. Their activities stirred up the patriotic sentiments of the inhabitants so much that Britain was forced to declare a state of emergency. It took almost 5 years of irreconcilable struggle against the invaders for independence before Cyprus received autonomy, which was confirmed by the Zurich-London Agreement. It officially determined the state structure and international status of Cyprus, allowed the election of the first president and became an Independent Republic in 1960. Now the island has another problem: it is officially divided into 2 parts: Greek and Turkish. Greek Cypriots make up the majority of the population of Cyprus (about 80%) and are very proud of their independence. They do not forget the difficult period of liberation from the invaders and honor the memory of the heroes who took part in the civil war against the British. April Fools' celebrations necessarily include the laying of wreaths at the graves of heroes, for example at the monument to one of the leaders of the “National Organization” G. Afxentiou near the Macheras Monastery. All students and employees of government institutions traditionally take part in rallies and festive celebrations. Like other holidays in Cyprus, April 1 is not complete without colorful processions, sports competitions, fireworks and all kinds of treats. April 1 is declared a national holiday with an official day off.

Funny Holidays - International Fun at Work Day

April 1 (March 19, old style) according to the folk calendar, Daria Gryaznaya is celebrated. The first part of the name of the holiday occurs in honor of the church date of veneration of the holy married couple - Daria and Chrysanthus, Christian martyrs of the 3rd century. Having become acquainted with the Holy Scriptures, Daria and Chrysanthus accepted Christianity and began to live without fulfilling marital duty. They hosted Christians, telling them about God. When the couple was reported to the pagan emperor, he ordered Darius to be handed over to a brothel, and Chrysanthus to be thrown into a pit with city sewage. The Lord sent a lion to protect Daria from defilers, and cleared the pit with Chrysanthus from dirt. Then the pagans tortured the couple and buried them alive in the ground, where the couple died. On Daria's Day, the weather was often warm, and melting snow soaked the ground on the roads. Walking outside, a lot of dirt stuck to my shoes. The floors in the room quickly became dirty from such dirt, a swamp formed in the yard and fields, hence the name of the day - Daria Dirty. They believed that on this day bad people were given away by things that were too dirty. It was believed that on Daria Gryaznaya the brownie awakens from winter sleep. So that he would not do dirty tricks, the peasants cajoled his mood. He was treated to milk and sweets, and a pot of porridge was placed near the brownie's stove. In colder regions, women bleached fabric to make clothes. The canvases were taken out into the yard during freezing conditions and laid out in the snow. Under the sun's rays the fabric brightened, and from the frost it became softer. There was a tradition on Daria Gryaznaya to amuse friends and household members. Residents tried to lighten the mood by telling a joke. Unmarried girls joked more than others, believing that in the future this ritual would prevent the husband from lying. If it rained on the day of Daria Gryaznaya, they prepared for a wet summer, and based on the sunny weather they predicted a dry summer. Cloudiness in the sky at night foreshadowed the following days as warm ones. Large streams from melting snow were used to determine the abundance of grass during haymaking. The flowering of the willow signaled that it was time to remove the hives with bees from the omshaniks.

The icon to represent the national currency of the United States was invented in 1778 by merchant Oliver Pollock. A businessman from New Orleans presented to the public on April 1 the symbol with which he recorded the amount of revenue in his books - $. Pollock combined the letters S and P in the sign, which are used to abbreviate the Spanish peseta. And, despite the fact that the American currency was officially approved as a national currency later, in 1785, April 1 is the birthday of the dollar. There are several versions of the origin of the $ symbol. Some researchers argue that the icon is a consequence of the letters U and S from United States superimposed on each other. Later, the lower part of the U disappeared, and to save time, instead of 2 dashes, they began to use one, and the well-known symbol appeared. Proponents of another version, taking into account the history of the black population of America, believe that the sign is an image of a slave’s stock (in English - slave) with a modified S. Some researchers are convinced that the basis of the $ was the number “8”, rotated 180 degrees, i.e. infinity symbol. The Continental Congress of the United States declared the dollar the national currency in July 1785. The first silver $ coins were minted in 1792. The modern paper one-dollar bill was designed in the 1920s. Nicholas Roerich, and approved in 1928. The founding fathers of America were mostly Freemasons. One of them, Benjamin Franklin, proposed using the symbols of the secret lodge of free masons in the form of state ones. The mystic and artist N. Roerich was invited to organically interweave Masonic signs into the image of American currency. The Russian traveler, set designer, philosopher and writer arrived in the United States in 1921 to open the Master Institute of United Arts. During these years, exhibitions of Roerich’s paintings were successfully held in New York, Chicago and other cities. In parallel with the founding of the International Art Center "Crown of Peace" and other organizations, the artist was developing the design of a one dollar bill. On it, Roerich depicted the all-seeing eye on the Egyptian pyramid, the Star of David and other occult signs of the Freemasons. The banknote acquired its traditional green color in 1869. This year, a contract was signed between the US Treasury Department and the Philadelphia company Messers J.M. & Cox for the production of banknote paper with special watermarks. The choice in favor of green paint was made due to the fact that it was relatively cheap, and the color itself evoked a sense of optimism and trust among people. Since the beginning of the 2000s, banknotes began to acquire new shades - yellow and pink. The material for printing the banknote is a mixture of flax (25%) and cotton (75%) fibers, which gives it high strength. Since the introduction of the $ symbol, the appearance of the American currency has constantly changed. It depicted men, presidents of the country, once a woman, the wife of D. Washington, and never African Americans. The first color of the banknote was black, but due to the ease of counterfeiting banknotes, it was changed to green in 1869. The Masonic Great Seal and other details of the image disappeared and reappeared. The only thing that has always remained unchanged is the $ sign, whose birthday is celebrated annually on April 1st.

Easter Monday is one of the most revered holidays of Catholicism, a symbol of remembrance of the first day following the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The date is variable: it changes for each year. Directly depends on the date when Easter is celebrated, calculated according to the lunar calendar. The holiday is an indicator of the divergence between the basic dogmas of Catholicism and Orthodoxy. One of the key points emerges: the Catholic Church recognizes the right of the procession of the holy spirit from God the Son, while Orthodox Christians recognize the procession only from God the Father. Therefore, the biblical tradition of Jesus’ appearance to two of his disciples evokes special reverence in the Catholic world. Remaining unrecognized, he shared a journey with them to the suburb of Jerusalem - the village of Emmaus. Only after the dinner, which he blessed, did they receive their sight and were able to recognize God the Son in their companion. But he immediately became invisible. Then the disciples came to Jerusalem and, together with the Apostles, began to glorify the true resurrection of Jesus. The population of many countries professing the Catholic religion receive an additional day off this Monday, fixed at the state level: the Czech Republic, Spain, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, France, and others. All Catholic holidays, Easter Monday is no exception, this is a complex combination of religious rituals and folk customs. In addition to the most important symbol - the cross, the most common are eggs, rabbits, and lambs. They are a sign of the birth of a new life, the awakening of nature and its fertility after the winter period. Especially for young Catholics in many countries, the tradition of giving Easter eggs has undergone changes: now they are chocolate. Another distinctive legacy of the past is pouring water on each other, widespread in Austria, England, mainly among Western Christians in central and eastern Europe. This symbolizes getting rid of the bad and gives the holiday another common name - Watering Monday. But the primary and main tradition of the celebration is to gather at the festive table with treats for the whole family after the service.

Orthodox holidays on April 1:

Orthodox believers celebrate the Day of Remembrance of the Martyr Pankharius on April 1 (March 19, old style). He was born in the 3rd century into a family that believed from generation to generation in the Lord and Jesus Christ, was smart and handsome. During that period in Ancient Rome, the empire split into two parts: eastern and western. The eastern territories were led by Emperor Diocletian, and the western territories by Maximian. It was to the second ruler that the young Pankhariy came into the service. Trying to please the ruler, he renounced Christianity. But Christians were not favored then: they were insulted, their households were taken away, and, knocking faith in Christ out of them, they were tortured to death. Maximian liked Pancharius, the emperor appointed him to his confidants and gave him the position of a dignitary. But the ruler did not know that the ward was a Christian in the past. At the behest of Maximian, Pankharia was treated to delicious dishes and presented with expensive gifts that brought only aesthetic pleasure. He meekly followed the instructions of the emperor and was devoted to him. Pankharia's mother, having learned about her son's behavior, was heartbroken. Together with her daughter, she wrote a letter to her son, mentioning the Lord and the Last Judgment, after which terrible punishment awaits the sinner’s soul. The renouncer was assured of the wrongness of idolatry, of the consequences of renouncing Christianity, and was advised to come to his senses and repent. After reading the letter, Pankharia had an epiphany. He fell to his knees and sobbed loudly, begging the Lord to forgive him. The ruler's servants, having heard the repentance, reported to the ruler about Pankharius' behavior. The emperor called him to his place and asked if he was a Christian. Having received a positive answer, Maximian assured him to renounce his faith, threatening him with violence. But in vain, the subject became adamant. Maximian ordered the Christian to be stripped and flogged with hard leather straps. After talking with his advisers, he sent him to the cruel Emperor Diocletian in Nicomedia for a public death, since he himself loved Pancharius very much and could not personally execute his favorite. In Nicomedia, Pancharius was questioned and, having learned about faith in the Lord, was taken to the main square. The martyr refused to glorify idolatry and did not want to leave the righteous path again. After the last prayer, his head was cut off. The date of death of the martyr was March 19 according to the Julian calendar.

Feast of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness”

Memorial Day of Righteous Sofia Slutskaya

Memorial Day of the Holy Martyrs Chrysanthus and Darya of Rome