April Fools' Day goes back to 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar named after himself-the Gregorian calendar-to replace the Julian calendar.
Why the change? Because the old calendar celebrated the start of the year on April 1st, shortly after the March 21st spring equinox celebrated by Pagan cultures. Starting the new year on January 1st, shortly after the birth of Jesus Christ, naturally made more sense to the Christian Pope in an increasingly Christian world. So Pope Gregory XIII, in recognition of the beginning of the life of Jesus Christ, mandated the new calendar.
The new calendar spread, but not as fast as today because they had no Internet. So, many people didn't hear of the calendar for awhile. Some simply wanted to keep the old calendar, either because they were used to it, or for cultural reasons. Some countries and cultures today still don't recognize January 1st as New Year's Day, but instead recognize the Spring Equinox, the beginning of spring, as the start of the new year.
As the new Gregorian calendar spread, Julian calendar traditionalists were made fun of and sent on fools' errands. This grew into a holiday of pranks and lightheartedness we celebrate today as April Fools' Day.
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