介绍愚人节的英语来历

和其他那些不“愚”的节日不同，愚人节（有时也叫做所有愚人的节日）的历史并没有完全被弄清楚。它不像万圣节，尽管万圣节有着有趣的历史，但是大部分人都仅仅是穿上万圣节的服饰，向别人索取糖果，然后就是这样了。在以前的日历上是找不到“愚人节”这个节日的。一些人认为它类似多种文化（包括对春天的第一天的庆祝）在同一时间相互作用的产物。

The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. Prior to that year, the new year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25. The celebration culminated on April 1. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved to January 1.
      传统上认为愚人节的这种传统最早开始于1582年的法国。在那一年之前，新年一般都是从3月25日开始，持续庆祝八天的。这种庆典在4月1日达到最盛。后来随着查理九世对日历的改革，格里高里历被引进，新年也随之移到了1月1日。

However, communications being what they were in the days when news traveled by foot, many people did not receive the news for several years. Others, the more obstinate crowd, refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the new year on April 1. These backward folk were labeled as "fools" by the general populace. They were subject to some ridicule, and were often sent on "fools errands" or were made the butt of other practical jokes.
      不过，步行传递信息是那时的主要沟通方式，很多人好几年都还没收到这个消息。还有一些人，那一个比较顽固的群体，拒绝接受新的日历，并且继续在4月1日庆祝新年。于是这些保守落后的人被平民大众贴上了“愚人”的标签。他们总是做一些荒谬的事，并且常常被人派去做“愚蠢的事”或者成为了人们的开玩笑的对象。

This harassment evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank-playing on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the English and French. April Fool's Day thus developed into an international fun fest, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own brand of humor at the expense of their friends and families.
      随着时间的推移，这些困扰逐渐演变成了在4月1号作弄人的习俗。这种传统最终在18世纪传到了英格兰和苏格兰，后来又被引入了英国和法国的殖民地。因此愚人节最终发展成了一个国际化的开玩笑的节日，可以说，各个国家的人都有他们专门的方式来捉弄他们的朋友和家人。

In Scotland, for example, April Fool's Day is actually celebrated for two days. The second day is devoted to pranks involving the posterior region of the body. It is called Taily Day. The origin of the "kick me" sign can be traced to this observance.
      比如，在苏格兰人庆祝愚人节是要持续两天的。第二天就主要玩的就是恶作剧装饰，这一天也叫做“续愚人节”。“踢我吧”的标志也是源自于这种传统。

Mexico's counterpart of April Fool's Day is actually observed on December 28. Originally, the day was a sad remembrance of the slaughter of the innocent children by King Herod. It eventually evolved into a lighter commemoration involving pranks and trickery.
      墨西哥相对应的愚人节实际上是在12月28日这一天庆祝的。最初，这一天是一个纪念被希律王屠杀的无辜小孩的哀悼日。最终这一天演变成了一个更轻松的纪念节日，该节日包括恶作剧和欺骗等活动。