Every December 28 in Spain and Latin America, people play pranks on each other, and some media outlets publish fake news like they do in the rest of the world every April XNUMXst.
The Catholic Church also calls December 28 the Day of the Innocent Children.
However, the story behind this day is very dark and tells about the killing of small children recorded in one of the four Christian gospels, according to Matthew.
According to this gospel, more than 2.000 years ago, the Jewish king Herod the Great decided to kill all children under the age of two in Bethlehem in order to eliminate the newborn Jesus.
Apparently, he made this decision after hearing a story about some "wizards from the east" who warned him that a child had just been born who would be the king of the Jews and would threaten his rule.
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The Catholic Church decided to honor the dead children as "the first martyrs of Jesus", and over time they became "Innocent Saints".
But how did such a sad memory turn into such a joyful day?
There are several theories.
Different roots
One version of the story claims that King Herod asked the "wizards of the east" where the boy who would be king was, but the three wise men apparently tricked the monarch and led him on the wrong trail.
Another theory about rejoicing is linked to Herod's grandson, Herod Agrippa II, King of Chalcis.
This regent, who is remembered for his dissolute behavior, decided to organize a seven-day celebration in honor of his grandfather and the thirtieth anniversary of the massacre.
However, on 28 December he decided to issue orders for the arrest and punishment of all the ministers, and they were unable to escape thanks to the efficiency of the royal guard.
In the end, the frightened guests were forced to attend the celebration, some receiving a stamp from the monarch who declared that they were "not guilty".
This spooky story is, some claim, the true origin of that holiday.
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Other scholars claim that the origin of this holiday is not in Jerusalem from biblical times, but in medieval Europe, at a time when the last month of the year was coming to an end and the first of the new year marked severe winters and a lack of activity in the countryside where most of the population worked.
"Idle people indulged in festivities, funny and even vicious pranks in which actors and spectators were equated to alleviate the daily hardships and steely social discipline," said Spanish historian Mario Gonzalez-Linares.
Thus, between December and January, a series of festivities were held, such as the Festival of the Fool or the Festival of the Donkey, where the joke played a fundamental role: it allowed people to make fun of the harshest social conventions.
Perhaps the most extreme of these festivals was that of the madman, which was officially banned by the church at the Council of Basel in 1435.
In the article "Laughter and delirium: the party of the madmen", published in the cultural magazine Antwerp, González-Linares explains who these madmen ruled the parties.
"There were deranged people, but also fools, depraved, poor, marginalized whose unforgivable crime consisted in not fitting into the rigid social scheme of the time."
Those crazy and depraved people were, as described by RP Fileg in an article by the historian González-Linares, the lowest level of the clergy:
"A bishop was appointed in the cathedral. Then he gave the blessing. Then the disguised priests entered, dancing, jumping and choral singing songs about adventures.
"The priests ate sausages, played cards and gambled on the altar. Instead of incense, they burned the soles of old shoes and excrement.
"After mass, everyone danced and ran around the church and indulged in the greatest sins".
In addition to jokes and mockery, academics such as Ramón García Pradez of the University of Castilla-La Mancha have linked this holiday to the emergence of parodic and satirical theater in the Middle Ages that criticized the social and political situation of the time.
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Spring, fish and stories
Many European countries in whose churches and streets the December and January festivities were celebrated in modern times celebrate April 1st as April Fool's Day.
In Anglo-Saxon society, this holiday is called April Fools' Day, in France it is April Fool, and in Italy April Fool.
And there are different theories about the origin of this date.
Some historians believe that, as with the celebrations in December and January, the season and weather conditions will play a significant role in April 1st.
At the end of March and the beginning of April, spring begins, which inspired "new festivities" in the countryside dating back to Roman times.
During the festivities, almost all rules and conventions were abolished.
"Servants could order their masters, and children could order their parents," explained historian Andra Livesey.
So it soon became a tradition for people to play jokes on each other on that day as well.
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