Students enjoying themselves in the Central Plaza on April Fools’ Day. Photographed by Lim Jae Heun.

By Lim Jae Heun (jaehlim95@korea.ac.kr)

The tradition of pulling pranks on each other on the first day of April for the sole purpose of enjoyment has been going on for a long time, and it has filled the day with laughter across nations.

Although the custom of designating a day for jokes and hoaxes has been observed in numerous parts of the world, its origins are a bit unclear. The earliest record of such practice can be found in the renowned work, The Cantebury Tales, by Geoffery Chaucer, in which a fox tricks a cock named Chauntecleer. In 1508, the French poet Eloy d’Amerval mentioned the phrase, “poisson d’avirl”, most possibly a reference to the holiday.

College students are not an exception when it comes to participating in the annual event. Some Korea University (KU) students chose to wear their high school uniforms to school, some put on the jackets of other schools, most notably Yonsei University (YU), and others came to school in atypical clothing such as military clothing.

Kim Dabin (’15, Psychology), who wore a high school uniform to school today, shared her opinion on April Fools’ Day. When asked why she decided to dress in such apparel, she replied, “It was like an event in our major. We (Students in the major) planned to be in our uniforms, order Jajangmyeon (Black bean paste noodles), and eat it at the Central Plaza grass.”

Even the Internet decided to jump into the party. KU and YU’s Bamboo Groove Facebook pages, where college students submit stories, accounts, or concerns they wish to share, have switched their profile pictures and cover photos so as to fool students of each school.

출처 : 고려대학교 고파스 2024-04-28 05:19:07: