Silly days for practical jokes are found all around the world. Perhaps the day started with the French, who once began the new year on the first of April.

Before 1564, French and most of the Europe celebrate the New Year with the begging of the first day of Spring. (April 1st, which coincided with vernal equinox first day of Spring).

In 1564, the calendar began the year  with January 1, some people resisted. They were considered April Fools.

Between 1564 and 1582 April 1st was equal with the first day of Spring Season, but due to the changes that was made to the calendar  in 1582, April 1st was moved ahead 11 days (April 1st became 11 days after the vernal equinox).

The Gregorian calendar was constructed to give a close approximation to the tropical year, which is the actual length of time it takes for the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun.

The Julian calendar was switched over to the Gregorian calendar starting in 1582, at which point the 11 day difference between the actual time of year and traditional time of year on which calendarical events occurred became intolerable. The switchover was bitterly opposed by much of the populace, who feared it was attempt by landlords to cheat them out of a week and a half's rent. However, when Pope Gregory XIII decreed that the day after October 4, 1582 would be October 15, 1582, the Catholic countries of France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy complied.

Various Catholic German countries (Germany was not yet unified), Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland followed suit within a year or two, and Hungary followed in 1587.

Because of the Pope's decree, the reform of the Julian calendar became to be known as the Gregorian calendar. However, the rest of Europe did not follow suit for more than a century.

Summary: Three events that is worth remembering 1-3.

1 - Before 1564, French and most of the Europe celebrated the New Year with the begging of the first day of Spring. (April 1st, which coincided with vernal equinox first day of Spring).

                                                         New Year     
                                                     First Day of Spring, Assyrian New Year
                Jan 1                             April 1
_____|_____________||______________________

2 - In 1564, the calendar began the year  with January 1, some people resisted. They were considered April Fools (April 1st, still coincided with vernal equinox first day of Spring).


                New Year                     First Day of Spring, Assyrian New Year
                Jan 1                             April 1
_____|_____________||______________________

3 - Pope Gregory XIII decreed that the day after October 4, 1582 would be October 15, 1582 ( 11 days were added, or lost, April 1st became 11 days after the vernal equinox the first day of Spring Season).

                               New Year       First Day of Spring, Assyrian New Year
                               Jan 1                                  April 1
___________|_______|______|______________________

The vernal equinox is start of the Spring Season. The Pope Gregory XIII decree has shifted April first 11 days after the first day of the Spring. Assyrians celebrated the NEW YEAR (Rish Nissanu) for thousands of years on the first day of SPRING.

This year's Assyrian New Year of 6757 starts on the first day of spring Season (Rish Nissanu 6757 begins at 10:25:35 AM California time on Monday March 21, 2007).

Ninous Bebla - March 21, 2007 / Nissanu 1, 6757