Hanting the Gowk is Old April Tradition

Chronicle (Levin), 1 April 1948, Page 4

Hanting the Gowk is Old April Tradition

No one can authoritatively say exactly who started it, but the ancient tradition of ■ himting the fool on the first day Of Aprfi is ope which, even in , these modern timCs.'dies hard. The custom of sending orie upon a bootless errand on the first 'day of this month, whatever its origin, . appears to be universal' throughout E'urope. It ig believed that both* Germany and England derived the custom from' France. In that country a. person thus imposed upqfi is called nn poisson; d'avril (an •April fish). In England such - a person is called an April fpol;" in Scotland, a gowk, which, being the Scots for the cuckoo, is self explanatory. The tradition may be the relic of the Roman "Cerealia,"_held at the beginning qf April. The tale goes that when Proserpina was carried off by Pluto to the lower world, her mother, Ceres, heard the echo of her-screams and went in searcli of the "voice." Her search was a fool's errand— it was hunting the gpwk or looking for the echo of a seream- Aprfi Gentlgman was a, term appiied to a newly wed who .was considered to have thus ma'de •himself an April fool. April Morn is appiied to the wedding day— the day when one was "made a fool of." The allusion is obvious. April Squire. was the namre given a suc'eessful business man who had retired to the country wfiere his money gave him the position of a "squire. ' In Hindustan, similar tricks to those playe'd on April 1 are carried out at a ffistival on March 31.