Praise Venus and Fortuna

April Fools Day was a celebration by ancient Romans to celebrate the combo festival of Fortuna Virilis, one of the many aspects of the Roman Goddess of Luck and Chance, Fortuna. Her title means "Manly" or "Virile", and it can be supposed that she made boys into men by making them strong and robust, and watching over them through the difficulties of puberty. She was connected with the Love-Goddes Venus(who also "makes boys into men", albeit in a rather different way), and She was worshipped with Venus at the festival of the Veneralia. and Venus Venticordia.

The Veneralia was a holiday of Venus Verticordia ("Venus the Changer of Hearts") held on April the 1st, the date of the founding of Her temple on the Aventine Hill, in which rites to Fortuna Virilis seem to have played a part. Perhaps the two taken together were meant to inspire and protect young men as they began to take an interest in sex and/or girls as they grew; and further evidence of a link between the two Goddesses is found in the fact that a shrine of Fortuna Virilis was located besides an altar to Venus of the Basket, though exactly where in Rome they were located is unknown.

Basically, the Romans would play tricks and muck around with their high jinks. Wearing their clothes backwards, a lá Kriss Kross, was quite popular and they would generally crack themselves up with their Roman style gags and laughs.

Aprils 1st is also the start of the celebration of Ceres - the Goddess of Harvest. This goes on for 10 days finishing with chariot races and releasing of foxes into the Circus arena with flaming brands attached to their tails. Those whacky Romans! Bunch of jokers, the lot of them.

The drink of celebration was milk and honey with the poppy flower pounded into it, trippy, I am sure.

I am the walrus, I am the eggman.

A happy day to you, whatever you are celebrating.