April Fools in December

If you’re reading this blog post then CONGRATUALTIONS! You’ve survived April Fools’ Day, hopefully with dignity in tact!

However, if you were in a Spanish-speaking country yesterday, then it’s no wonder you managed to get through the day with no one jumping out of cupboards to scare you, no salt in the sugar dispenser, or (God forbid!) cling-film on the toilet seat. That is because, in the Hispanic world, April the first is just another day on the calendar.

So that explains any blank stares or raised eyebrows you would have got in response to cries of "¡Tontos de abril!". As April Fools’ Days is celebrated (if such a world can be used for institutionalised pranking) in many parts of the world, the USA and Europe included, Latino culture stands out from the crowd, with a rough equivalent, el Día de los Santos Inocentes, being observed on December 28.

The Day of the Innocents, which is celebrated in Spain (especially the southern areas) and parts of Latin America, is observed in much the same way as April Fools' Day. But when the prankster reveals their joke (known as una inocentada) the saying is "¡Inocente, inocente!", to be yelled gloatingly at their victims. Sometimes the jokers themselves are called the ‘inocentes’ and the victims of the prank are not supposed to be angry at them, since jokes are all in good faith and they could not have committed any sin...

The origins of el Día de los Santos Inocentes are somewhat less light-hearted. Like a lot of Spanish holidays, there are biblical roots to the Day of the Innocents. According to the Gospel of Matthew, on December 28th King Herod ordered all the baby boys in Bethlehem under the age of 2 to be killed, because he was afraid that the newborn baby Jesus would become a rival. However, as the story goes, Jesus had already been taken away to Egypt by Mary and Joseph. So the joke was on Herod, and the tradition followed of tricking people on that day.

Pranks are limited to your imagination, although someone walking around blissfully unaware of a paper man stuck on their back (not unlike the French do with paper fish, or the really cruel do with ‘Kick Me’ signs) is a common sight on el Día de los Santos Inocentes. Even news broadcasters get involved with joke stories being reported, such as UFO sightings, alien abductions and whatever else they can get away with! Be sure to take everything in good humour, but with this prankster holiday being so close to Christmas, the inocentadas are normally received with festive cheer.

Which means, for those of you living in el mundo Hispano, you have 8 more months to plan your bromas!