To Prank Or Not To Prank: April Fools’ Day

As a child or young adult, and maybe even a time or 2 now I loved April Fool’s Day and did my share of pranks. So I became interested in how this day started and why all over the world it is an unofficial day to prank. As myou can tell by now I just love history.

April Fools’ Day—celebrated on April 1 each year—has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, though its exact origins remain a mystery. April Fools’ Day traditions include playing hoaxes or practical jokes on others, often yelling “April Fools!” at the end to clue in the subject of the April Fools’ Day prank. While its exact history is shrouded in mystery, the embrace of April Fools’ Day jokes by the media and major brands has ensured the unofficial holiday’s long life.

Origins of April Fools’ Day:

One likely predecessor to the origin of April Fools’ day is the Roman tradition of Hilaria, a spring festival held around March 25 in honor of the first day of the year longer than the night (we call this the vernal equinox, which typically falls on March 20). Festivities included games, processions, and masquerades, during which disguised commoners could imitate nobility to devious ends. They should have stuck with these April Fools’ jokes to make everyone laugh.

It’s hard to say whether this ancient revelry’s similarities to modern April Fools’ Day are legit or coincidence, as the first recorded mentions of the holiday didn’t appear until several hundred years later.

Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1.

People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April fools.” These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.

April Fools’ Day, also called All Fools’ Day, in most countries the first day of April. It received its name from the custom of playing practical jokes on this day—for example, telling friends that their shoelaces are untied or sending them on so-called fools’ errands. Although the day has been observed for centuries, its true origins are unknown and effectively unknowable. It resembles festivals such as the Hilaria of ancient Rome, held on March 25, and the Holi celebration in India, which ends on March 31. April Fools’ Day is celebrated on April 1^st each year!

In France reference to a young fish and hence to one that is easily caught; it is common for French children to pin a paper fish to the backs of unsuspecting friends. In Scotland the day is Gowkie Day, for the gowk, or cuckoo, a symbol of the fool and the cuckold, which suggests that it may have been associated at one time with sexual license; on the following day signs reading “kick me” are pinned to friends’ backs. In many countries newspapers and the other media participate—for example, with false headlines or news stories.

Money may not grow on trees, but spaghetti sure does, at least according to one of the most famous April Fools’ Day pranks and hoaxes of all time.

Back on April 1, 1957, Britain’s news show Panorama soberly informed viewers about a spaghetti harvest in southern Switzerland. The pasta was thriving both due to a mild winter and, of course, thanks to the “virtual disappearance of the spaghetti weevil.” Delivering the news was none other than Britain’s hugely respected Richard Dimbleby, who was the BBC’s first war correspondent, and then its leading TV news commentator. The news was greeted with deep enthusiasm because, after all, “for those who love this dish, there’s nothing like real, home-grown spaghetti.”

It’s all part of the annual tradition of marking the beginning of April with April Fools’ Day, when those so inclined prank others in their lives by announcing fake marriages, pregnancies, or the purported purchase of the Liberty Bell by Taco Bell in 1996. You might wonder how all this foolishness got started. What is the origin of April Fools’ Day, and why do we celebrate?

“People glom on to it because it’s hilarious and fun. Yes there have been a lot of nasty jokes played over the years and for some people it’s a way to be malicious to others. At the same time, we all have an innate desire to be mischievous. It’s part of our human nature. April Fools’ Day gives a way to play a prank on someone or a joke without doing too much harm,” says Rob Weiner, pop culture librarian at Texas Tech University.

Britain changed its calendar in 1752, which meant that January 1 marked the beginning of the year. And so it makes sense that the Brits embraced April Fools’ Day in the 18th century, which meant people were sent on phony errands and played pranks like — well, you can imagine. Oh but wait, there’s more. According to History.com, some muse that April Fools’ Day traces its origins to the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Why? Because Mother Nature is a prickly and surprising creature, and tricks you into believing that warmer temps are here — right before that freak snow storm hits in mid-April.

“What strikes me is the fact that you’ve got these traditions in Ireland, in Scotland, in France. It’s an official holiday in the Ukraine. How did the concept of April Fools’ expand to these different countries? That’s the true mystery,” says Weiner. “My speculation is that the concept of there being a day for fools and pranks — it was transmitted orally. And then it became codified in regular popular culture that the first of April was the day of fools. It’s one of those weird quirks of history that has transcended cultural boundaries.”

But pinning tails on people or covering the toilet with clear saran wrap doesn’t begin to compare to the left-handed Whopper announced by Burger King in 1998. Or the new pizza-flavored seltzer you could ostensibly buy from Bud Light one year, part of a growing tradition of pranks by food brands. April Fools!

The Elegant Jefferson Hotel, Richmond Virginia 

If one has not visited the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia, then it must be put on your bucket list! It is truly breathtaking interior and exterior of this Grand Lady! 

I have stayed at the Jefferson in the infamous Room #19.

Room 19 is an upstairs room featuring 1 Full Bed with 201 Square feet. This room is known for its haunted history. There was a bride that hanged herself from this very bed because her husband did not show to the wedding. It is said that she still resides with the antique bed.  I did not see the bride but this room has a special vibe. 

I have eaten at the famous “Lemaire,” a restaurant named after Etienne Lemaire, who served as maitre d’hotel to Thomas Jefferson from 1794 through the end of his presidency. Some of the best meals I ever eaten. 

But let’s not forget the Champagne Sunday Brunch.  One has to book 3 to 4 months out and a year out for special holidays. This is one of the best brunch I have ever eaten. And I am a Brunch lover!  The brunch was suspend during the pandemic of 2020, but according to the hotel they will begin in 2022 at one point.  Just call or check the website for the hotel. 

Not to forget pictures taken on the famous grand staircase and with the bronze alligators.

History:

Tobacco baron Lewis Ginter began building the hotel in 1892 and opened it in 1895. Designed by Carrère and Hastings, the same architecture firm that designed the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue, the Ponce de Leon Hotel (St. Augustine), Flagler’s Whitehall Mansion (Palm Beach), the House and Senate Office Buildings (Washington, D.C.) and many more.

As a centerpiece for the upper lobby, Ginter commissioned Richmond sculptor Edward V. Valentine to create a life-size image of Thomas Jefferson from Carrara marble. Ginter imported exotic palm trees from Central and South America and purchased hundreds of valuable antiques. The hotel had electric lights, electric elevators, hot and cold water in the guest rooms and a Teleseme (predecessor of the telephone) for room service. Other unusual amenities were a grill room, ladies’ salon, a library, Turkish and Russian baths. The hotel opened on Halloween 1895 for the engagement party for Charles Dana Gibson, the famous illustrator and Irene Langhorne, better known as the Gibson Girl.

In 1901, a fire demolished three-fifths of the building. One hundred guest rooms fronting on Franklin Street were intact and reopened in May of 1902, but major reconstruction was required in the portion facing Main Street and the hotel languished for several more years. Then, in 1905, the furniture and accessories were replaced and marbleized columns and Edwardian and rococo touches were added. The Grand Staircase and the Mezzanine, both formerly enclosed behind arched walls, were opened and the hotel expanded to include 330 new rooms in addition to the 100 remaining from the original structure. In May, 1907, the enlarged hotel was reopened in time for the Jamestown Exposition. The restoration was designed by architect J. Kevan Peebles, who also designed the new wing of the Virginia State Capitol. At about this time, alligators were placed in the marble pools in the Palm Court. Many Richmond citizens donated pet alligators to the hotel. One apocryphal anecdote tells the story of an alligator who crawled out of the pool and into the library where a senior-aged guest mistook the alligator for a footstool. When the “footstool” moved, she became hysterical and ran out screaming. By the time she convinced hotel attendants, the alligator had already slithered back to his watery pool. The last alligator, Old Pompey, remained a guest at the Jefferson pool until he died in 1948.

During World War II, the hotel lodged transient U.S. Army recruits. The stained-glass skylights and windows were taken down not only to conform to blackout requirements, but also to prevent breakage from empty bottles tossed by rowdy soldiers. In March 1944, another fire broke out which took the lives of six people. Soon after the war ended, a gradual decline set in. By 1980 the hotel was closed to everyone except the occasional moviemaker.

After acquisition by the New York-based Sybedon Corporation, renovation began in 1983 and $34 million later, the hotel was reopened on May 6, 1986. Old paint was removed from walls to reveal mahogany paneling and from exterior columns to uncover pure marble. Hand-carved fireplace mantels, ornate ceiling fixtures, wall sconces, writing tables and assorted bric-a-brac were cleaned, polished and restored. Beautiful stained-glass windows were retrieved, refurbished and restored. Decorative carvings on ceilings and gold leaf ornamentation were renovated. An original heavy brass mailbox with an eagle, rosettes and lettering was refinished and placed in the registration area.

On July 2, 1991, the Jefferson was sold to Historic Hotels, Inc., a Richmond-based group of investors. In the next year a multi-million dollar renovation began, which included redecoration of all guest rooms and suites, the Rotunda and the Palm Court, enhanced parking and improved amenities. The hotel’s 155 guest rooms and suites come in 57 different styles, all outfitted with high ceilings, large windows and custom furnishings. A full-service health club is on-site, and the Jefferson Hotel also boasts two of Richmond’s finest restaurants and a Champagne Sunday Brunch.

Among the list of celebrities and notable guests who have visited here are: 13 U.S. Presidents, Charles Lindbergh, Henry Ford, Charlie Chaplin, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Anthony Hopkins, Whoopi Goldberg, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Gertrude Stein, General John J. Pershing, Marshall Foch, William Jennings Bryan, Sarah Bernhardt, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes. Sergei Rachmaninoff played the piano in the Grand Ballroom and Bill (Bojangles) Robinson was “discovered” as he waited tables in the dining room.

For many guests and visitors, the dramatic 36-step polished marble staircase has been the cynosure of all eyes. Since the film classic “Gone With the Wind” was allegedly filmed on the Jefferson Hotel staircase, it is hard to stand at the base without visualizing Rhett Butler carrying Scarlett O’Hara up those stairs.

The Jefferson Hotel is one of only 27 American hotels with both the AAA Five-Diamond and the Forbes Five-Star ratings. It is a member of the Historic Hotels of America and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Grand Lady: 

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a charter member of Historic Hotels of America, The Jefferson Hotel is among the most historic travel destinations in the country. In 1892, Lewis Ginter—one of the area’s most colorful characters—decided to construct a magnificent hotel for his beloved city. An estimated $5 to $10 million went into planning, building and furnishing the hotel, with nearly $2 million going toward its three-year construction. But Ginter’s plan to construct an extravagant holiday destination paid off. Thousands of visitors from across the United States flocked to The Jefferson Hotel when it first opened its doors on Halloween Day of 1895. By the end of the decade, The Jefferson Hotel affectionately bore the moniker of “The Belle of the ‘90s.”

Three-fifths of the building’s structure became compromised in 1901 from a tragic accident. Even though 100 guest rooms remained intact, the hotel had trouble recovering. A concerned group of local citizens led, in part, by Lieutenant Governor Joseph Willard then decided to fully renovate The Jefferson Hotel. They hoped to achieve that vision in time for the tercentennial anniversary of the Jamestown Expedition. Through the Jefferson Realty Company, the group initiated an extensive restoration of the building in 1905. Together, they added marbleized columns and applied a combination of rococo aesthetics to the hotel’s interior. The Grand Staircase and the Mezzanine—both formerly enclosed behind arched walls—were opened up and the hotel expanded to include 330 new accommodations. The Jefferson Hotel then held its grand reopening in May of 1907.

During World War II, the hotel lodged transient recruits on their way to one of the war’s many theaters across the globe. The stained-glass skylights and windows were taken down not only to conform to blackout requirements, but also to prevent breakage from empty bottles tossed by the rowdy crowds. In March 1944, another structural mishap befell the hotel, which marked the beginning of a gradual decline in business for The Jefferson Hotel. This period of prolonged decay continued throughout the 1960s and 1970s, despite diligent efforts to attract scores of new patrons. The hotel closed to everyone by 1980, except for when Director Louis Malle used the Grand Ballroom in his film, My Dinner With Andre.

New life entered The Jefferson Hotel when another round of renovations began in 1983. Three years and more than $34 million later, the hotel reopened once more on May 6, 1986. Developers removed layers of paint to reveal the building’s beautiful mahogany paneling and marble columns that others had covered up a few decades prior. The original hardwood and marbling flooring were cleaned and properly polished for the first time in years. Craftsmen resurrected many items, such as hand-carved fireplace mantels, ornate ceiling fixtures, wall sconces, and writing tables. Then in 1991, The Jefferson Hotel became owned by Historic Hotels, Inc., a Richmond-based group of investors unaffiliated with Historic Hotels of America. In the ensuing decades, the hotel has thrived as a cornerstone of Richmond’s social and business scenes. The hotel recently completed a full reconstruction of its guest rooms and suites, as well as a renovation of all public spaces. The future of this legendary hotel has never looked brighter.

Location:

The Jefferson Hotel is located in the heart of downtown Richmond, which is one of the nation’s most historic cities. The hotel itself is mere steps from several of Richmond’s storied historic districts, including the Grace Street Historic District, the Broad Street Commercial Historic District, Oregon Hill Historic District, and Monroe Ward. It is also close to numerous historic sites, such as the Tredegar Iron Works and the Virginia State Capitol. While The Jefferson Hotel has been around since the 1890s, the history of Richmond stretches much farther back to 1737 when English colonists laid down its original street grid. The city has been at the forefront of numerous historical moments throughout America’s past. Richmond was the site of Patrick Henry’s famous “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech at the onset of the American Revolution. It also served as the capitol of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War and bore witness to countless battles. It was even involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, when the Richmond 34 famously protested racial segregation at the lunch counter of the Thalhimers department store. Richmond is truly a fascinating destination rich in history.

Architecture: 

Hailed by the U.S. Department of the Interior as “one of the nation’s most outstanding examples of late-19th century eclectic architecture,” The Jefferson Hotel is a structural masterpiece. Many different architectural flavors permeate throughout the building, most notably Beaux-Arts and Spanish Baroque-style design aesthetics. The first architects to oversee the development of The Jefferson Hotel’s rare appearance was the New York-based firm Carrère and Hastings, which later designed the New York Public Library (now a National Historic Landmark). When the building underwent its second round of renovations in 1905, a new architect named J. Kevan Peebles oversaw the project. Peebles had by that point attracted nationwide praise for his prior work on the Virginia State Capitol. The Jefferson Hotel has since undergone three additional renovations with the most recent starting in 2013.

Ginter spent an estimated $5 to $10 million to finance The Jefferson Hotel’s initial construction. He used his money to lavishly outfit the building with the finest artwork and amenities of its day. Ginter imported exotic vegetation from throughout Latin America and place rare antiques in all the public spaces. An exquisite library appeared inside the structure, as did a ladies’ salon, a grill room, and several billiard halls. Ginter even installed a series of luxurious Turkish and Russian baths throughout the building. The Jefferson Hotel was also among the first structures in downtown Richmond to feature electricity, working telephones, and indoor plumbing.

Perhaps the most ostentatious aspect of The Jefferson Hotel when it first opened was the life-size replica of its namesake, Thomas Jefferson. The centerpiece of the hotel’s main lobby, the statue of the nation’s third president cost Ginter nearly $12,000 to make. He commissioned a local sculpture named Edward V. Valentine for the project, who subsequently used Carrara marble as his material. Valentine was so fully invested in producing an accurate portrayal of Jefferson that he incorporated the design of some of president’s actual clothing into the statue.

Many of The Jefferson Hotel’s interior spaces are an everlasting tribute to the meticulous work done by the original architects. No room reflects this sentiment better than the marvelous Palm Court. The focal point of the Palm Court at The Jefferson Hotel is the circular stained-glass that completes a majority of the room’s 35-foot ceiling. Surrounding the room are 12 stained-glass windows, each vibrant design featuring The Jefferson’s original logo, similar to the crest that is used today. These side-panel windows are believed to been crafted by the famous artisan Louis Tiffany. The stained-glass elements were added to the lobby following the 1901 fire which destroyed two-thirds of the original 1895 structure. The 40-foot ceiling of The Jefferson’s Rotunda lobby features both a massive stained-glass skylight as well as intricately carved plaster featuring an elegant palm frond motif.

Music of Early America What was It? 

What was Colonial or “Early American” music?

Colonial music was not so much music written in America before the Revolution as it was music that was brought here and helped define the people who were to make a new country. Understanding the music that early Americans chose to sing and play gives us a better understanding of the colonists themselves. Their music included ballads, dance tunes, folk songs and parodies, comic opera arias, drum signals, psalms, minuets, and sonatas. Such music came mostly from England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, and Africa, and it was played on whatever instruments were handy.

In early America, a wonderful variety of types and styles of music emerged, expressing the full spectrum of colonial life. It is clear that while our ancestors were musically dependent upon Great Britain, Europe, and Africa, for the most part, uniquely American developments were already felt before 1776. To understand, appreciate, and translate such rich history behind the pleasing melodies and stories told through song—that is our professional mission.

General Concepts

Colonial music involved both written and oral/aural processes. Many people knew a large body of tunes by ear, and we frequently find new sets of words “composed” to fit these older tunes. Single tunes also served a variety of functions—for example, “Over the Hills and Far Away” served as a theater song, a recruiting song, a dance tune, and a military march. Further, the popularity of specific pieces of music varied over time and by region, depending upon the flow of fashion and backgrounds of people living in a certain area. Some instruments and types of music were more appropriate to certain classes, genders, and ethnic backgrounds.

Which instruments were used?

Most instruments that we have today were around by the Revolution (when pianos were just coming into popularity) but certainly, some instruments were more prevalent than others. Violins were by far the most popular instruments. Men of all different classes, from Thomas Jefferson to indentured servants and enslaved people, played violins or fiddles. Prices varied from cheap to quite expensive and there is little doubt that violins were imported in great numbers.

Second in popularity to violins were flutes of many different kinds, also played for the most part by men. There were fifes, recorders (in early America these were called common or English flutes), and transverse flutes (called then German flutes), but it is doubtful that there were any pennywhistles, despite their numbers in the mouths of little tourists at Williamsburg.

So what did the women play? A very tight self-regulation of activity in the name of “maintaining reputation” limited musical options for women. Many wealthy women played harpsichords on which they practiced and performed for family and friends. The other instrument of choice for women was what we call today an English guitar, a now extinct 10-string version of a Renaissance cittern with a flat back and a tear-drop shape, tuned to an open C chord, seen in the picture above. The grandmother of our modern guitar was around also, but not as popular; it is called today a Baroque guitar, and it was a small version of a classical guitar with gut strings, frets of gut tied around the neck, and strung as a modern 12-string without the bass E strings, so it was also a 10 stringed instrument. It wasn’t until around 1820 that the standard guitar had 6 strings. Women also played harps, but not before the end of the 18th century.

Drums and trumpets, trombones and French horns, ‘cellos, violas da gamba, clarinets, oboes and bassoons, glass armonicas, hammered dulcimers, organs—all these appeared, in varying numbers, within in the colonies.

Theater Music

Musical theater in the colonies was very popular. Most performed were ballad operas—compilations of familiar folk tunes with new words strung together by spoken dialogue to tell a comic story. The most famous of these was The Beggar’s Opera, compiled in 1728 in London as a reaction to the elite Italian opera that was so popular among the wealthy in that city. The Beggar’s Opera was performed in the colonies as early as 1750. Just as many people today will buy the sheet music and/or CD to a favorite movie or musical, so the colonists would bring home the music and words to songs in The Beggar’s Opera (or to any of the many other ballad operas), and play and sing them at home.

Dance Music

Music was also critical to the favorite pastime of the colonists—dancing. There was a huge repertory of dance tunes, mostly English and Celtic reels, hornpipes, jigs, and minuets. Dancing was usually accompanied by a single violin, but for special occasions, there may have been 4 or 5 musicians. Whatever instruments and players could be gathered was fine for the dancers. We have a reference to a dance being accompanied by a solo French horn, for lack of a more suitable instrument. This must have been quite a challenge since brass instruments had no valves yet!

Church Music

The most varied sort of music in colonial America was related to the several religious denominations active here. The devout Congregationalist churches of New England encouraged the singing of psalms, anthems, and fuging tunes. After 1720, paid singing masters taught church members to read from music, and a large body of unique compositions emerged, most notably by William Billings of Boston. However, in the colonial South, the official tax-supported Church of England evoked considerably less enthusiasm on the part of parishioners. More organs graced private homes in the South than found use in churches.

Most musically sophisticated were the Moravian settlers in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. These largely Germanic people copied, performed, and even composed new chamber pieces that were far superior to the general level of musical accomplishment in the colonies. Baptists, Methodists, Lutheran, Dutch Reformed, and other Protestant denominations all rose in importance through the 1700s, but Catholics were persecuted (especially in Maryland) and flourished only after the Revolution brought true religious freedom. Native Americans and African Americans were in many cases Christianized, and the rise of the Negro Spiritual as a popular choral style after the Civil War is attributed to musical interactions dating back well into colonial times.

Military Music

Two general sorts of military music are associated with early America, mostly during the late colonial period and the Revolutionary period. A “Band of Musick” consisted of professional musicians hired by officers to play contrapuntal music at parades, during meals, and for dancing. This ensemble often consisted of oboes, clarinets, (French) horns, and bassoons. The other type of music was often referred to as “field music.” This consisted of the fifers and drummers who played during the march, during battles, and for the various camp duty calls which regulated soldiers’ lives.

So get your toes tapping and knees a rockin as the music begins.