愚人節來源于一個神秘故事。

The origins of April Fools’Day are shrouded in mystery, experts say. Themost popular theory is that France changed its calendar in the 15gOs so that the New Year would begin in January to match the Roman calendar instead of beginning at the start of spring, in late March or early April.

專家稱，愚人節的起源籠罩著神秘的面紗。最流行的說法是，法國在十六世紀初更改了歷法，這樣新年就出現在一月份，和羅馬歷法保持一致，而不是之前的落在三月底或四月初的初春。

However, word of the change traveled slowly, and many people in rural areas continued to celebrate the New Year in the spring. These country dwellers became known as "April fools", the story goes.

然而，歷法更改執行得非常緩慢，很多鄉村地區的人們仍然是在春季歡度新年。于是，這些鄉村的人們就被稱為“四月傻瓜”，故事就此傳播開來。

But Boese, who’s studied the holiday's origin, said the "theory is completely wrong, because the day that the French celebrated the beginning of the year,legally, was Easter day, so it never really was associated with April first”

但是，伯澤在研究了這個節日的起源后說:“這種說法完全是錯誤的，因為按照法定節日，法國人民歡度新年是在復活節，所以這和四月一號根本沒有任何聯系。”

"Traditionally it was only a legal start to the year, people in France did actually celebrate the New Year on January first for as long as anybody could remember." Boese believes instead that April Fools’Day simply grew out of age-old European spring festivals of renewal, in which pranks and camoutlaging one's identity are common.

“而從傳統上來看，新年只是一年法定的開始—直以來法國人民都確實是在一月一號歡慶新年的，這是任何人都不會忘記的?！辈疂烧J為，愚人節僅僅來自于古老的歐洲春節的延續，在那時，人們常常愛開玩笑，并偽裝自己。

Today in France, April Fools' Day is called 1e Poisson d'Avril-"the April fish"-and a classic prank is to stick a paper fish to an ur}suspecting passerby's back.

現今在法國，愚人節被稱為“四月魚”—其一個常開的玩笑就是在毫無察覺的過路人背上貼上一個紙剪魚。

April Fools’Day: The Joke's on Us.

四月一日愚人節:發生在美國的惡作劇

Joseph Boskin, professor emeritus of American humor at Boston University,has offered his own interpretation of the holiday’s roots-as a prank.

約瑟夫·布希金，一個擅長美國幽默的波士頓大學退休教授，他給出了自己對于節日起源的理解—同樣是一個惡作劇。

In 1983 Boskin told an Associated Press reporter that the idea came from Roman festers during the time of Constantine I in the third and fourth centuries A.D.

1983年，布希金告訴聯合出版社的記者，惡作劇這種主意來自于公元3}4世紀康士坦丁一世時期的一個羅馬弄臣。

As the story goes, jesters successfully petitioned the ruler to allow one of their elected members to be icing for a day. So, on April first, Constantine handed over the reins of the Roman Empire for one day to King Kugel, his jester. Kugel decreed that the day forever would be a day of absurdity.

據說，弄臣們成功地懇請統治者允許他們中的一位做一天皇帝。之后，就在四月一號那天，康士坦丁一世把羅馬帝王的王位轉交給庫高王—他的一位弄臣。庫高頒布法令，將當天定為永久的“荒誕日”。

Kugel, incidentally, is an Eastern European dish that one of Boskin’s friends had been craving.

順便提及一下，“庫高”這一名稱還是一種東歐菜名，也正是布希金的一位朋友鐘愛的一道菜。

The news agency was less than thrilled about the gambit, Boskin said. "I thought I should have been complimented for a quacky, quirky story that was fitted to the occasion."

可是資訊社對布希金的這一“詭計”并不買賬，于是他說道:“我覺得我應該得到肯定贊揚，因為我這個離奇的故事正是為那個節日量身定做的解釋?！?

Fact or Fiction: How About Both?

事實，還是虛構?或者兩者都有?

According to Marc Abrahams, creator of the Ig Nobel Prizes, traditional April Fools’Day fake news is being out-absurded by actual discoveries.

據搞笑諾貝爾獎創始人馬克·亞拉伯罕稱，傳統的愚人節虛假消息因許多真實的發明與發現而變得已經不再荒誕。

Every year the Ig Nobel Prizes in science, medicine, and technology are awarded for research that "first make people laugh, and then make them think.”In 2010 prizes went to legitimate research that found a new way to collect whale snot using a remote-controlled helicopter, proved that swearing does indeed relieve pain, and revealed that asthma can be treated with roller coaster rides.

每年都有科學、醫學和技術因研究“先讓人們發笑，繼而讓他們深思”而獲得搞笑諾貝爾獎。在2010年，獎項頒發給了一項合法研究，由于它發現了用遠程遙控直升機收集鯨魚鼻涕的新方法，并且證實了:發誓并不能減輕痛苦，坐過山車可以治療哮喘。

"The real stuff is funnier, simply because it is real,”said Abrahams. "In that sense, the things that are real and funny are a superior form of April Fools’joke,because you can tell them and people will think you are making it up.”

亞拉伯罕說:“真實的事情因其真實而簡單有趣。從這個角度來講，真實而有趣的事情才是愚人節玩笑中的高級形式，因為你把真事說出來后，人們會以為你在胡編亂造?！?

愚人節來源于一個神秘故事。

The origins of April Fools’Day are shrouded in mystery, experts say. Themost popular theory is that France changed its calendar in the 15gOs so that the New Year would begin in January to match the Roman calendar instead of beginning at the start of spring, in late March or early April.

專家稱，愚人節的起源籠罩著神秘的面紗。最流行的說法是，法國在十六世紀初更改了歷法，這樣新年就出現在一月份，和羅馬歷法保持一致，而不是之前的落在三月底或四月初的初春。

However, word of the change traveled slowly, and many people in rural areas continued to celebrate the New Year in the spring. These country dwellers became known as "April fools", the story goes.

然而，歷法更改執行得非常緩慢，很多鄉村地區的人們仍然是在春季歡度新年。于是，這些鄉村的人們就被稱為“四月傻瓜”，故事就此傳播開來。

But Boese, who’s studied the holiday's origin, said the "theory is completely wrong, because the day that the French celebrated the beginning of the year,legally, was Easter day, so it never really was associated with April first”

但是，伯澤在研究了這個節日的起源后說:“這種說法完全是錯誤的，因為按照法定節日，法國人民歡度新年是在復活節，所以這和四月一號根本沒有任何聯系?！?

"Traditionally it was only a legal start to the year, people in France did actually celebrate the New Year on January first for as long as anybody could remember." Boese believes instead that April Fools’Day simply grew out of age-old European spring festivals of renewal, in which pranks and camoutlaging one's identity are common.

“而從傳統上來看，新年只是一年法定的開始—直以來法國人民都確實是在一月一號歡慶新年的，這是任何人都不會忘記的?！辈疂烧J為，愚人節僅僅來自于古老的歐洲春節的延續，在那時，人們常常愛開玩笑，并偽裝自己。

Today in France, April Fools' Day is called 1e Poisson d'Avril-"the April fish"-and a classic prank is to stick a paper fish to an ur}suspecting passerby's back.

現今在法國，愚人節被稱為“四月魚”—其一個常開的玩笑就是在毫無察覺的過路人背上貼上一個紙剪魚。

April Fools’Day: The Joke's on Us.

四月一日愚人節:發生在美國的惡作劇

Joseph Boskin, professor emeritus of American humor at Boston University,has offered his own interpretation of the holiday’s roots-as a prank.

約瑟夫·布希金，一個擅長美國幽默的波士頓大學退休教授，他給出了自己對于節日起源的理解—同樣是一個惡作劇。

In 1983 Boskin told an Associated Press reporter that the idea came from Roman festers during the time of Constantine I in the third and fourth centuries A.D.

1983年，布希金告訴聯合出版社的記者，惡作劇這種主意來自于公元3}4世紀康士坦丁一世時期的一個羅馬弄臣。

As the story goes, jesters successfully petitioned the ruler to allow one of their elected members to be icing for a day. So, on April first, Constantine handed over the reins of the Roman Empire for one day to King Kugel, his jester. Kugel decreed that the day forever would be a day of absurdity.

據說，弄臣們成功地懇請統治者允許他們中的一位做一天皇帝。之后，就在四月一號那天，康士坦丁一世把羅馬帝王的王位轉交給庫高王—他的一位弄臣。庫高頒布法令，將當天定為永久的“荒誕日”。

Kugel, incidentally, is an Eastern European dish that one of Boskin’s friends had been craving.

順便提及一下，“庫高”這一名稱還是一種東歐菜名，也正是布希金的一位朋友鐘愛的一道菜。

The news agency was less than thrilled about the gambit, Boskin said. "I thought I should have been complimented for a quacky, quirky story that was fitted to the occasion."

可是資訊社對布希金的這一“詭計”并不買賬，于是他說道:“我覺得我應該得到肯定贊揚，因為我這個離奇的故事正是為那個節日量身定做的解釋?！?

Fact or Fiction: How About Both?

事實，還是虛構?或者兩者都有?

According to Marc Abrahams, creator of the Ig Nobel Prizes, traditional April Fools’Day fake news is being out-absurded by actual discoveries.

據搞笑諾貝爾獎創始人馬克·亞拉伯罕稱，傳統的愚人節虛假消息因許多真實的發明與發現而變得已經不再荒誕。

Every year the Ig Nobel Prizes in science, medicine, and technology are awarded for research that "first make people laugh, and then make them think.”In 2010 prizes went to legitimate research that found a new way to collect whale snot using a remote-controlled helicopter, proved that swearing does indeed relieve pain, and revealed that asthma can be treated with roller coaster rides.

每年都有科學、醫學和技術因研究“先讓人們發笑，繼而讓他們深思”而獲得搞笑諾貝爾獎。在2010年，獎項頒發給了一項合法研究，由于它發現了用遠程遙控直升機收集鯨魚鼻涕的新方法，并且證實了:發誓并不能減輕痛苦，坐過山車可以治療哮喘。

"The real stuff is funnier, simply because it is real,”said Abrahams. "In that sense, the things that are real and funny are a superior form of April Fools’joke,because you can tell them and people will think you are making it up.”

亞拉伯罕說:“真實的事情因其真實而簡單有趣。從這個角度來講，真實而有趣的事情才是愚人節玩笑中的高級形式，因為你把真事說出來后，人們會以為你在胡編亂造。”