Origin and History of April Fools� Day in Netherlands
During the Great War between Dutch and Spanish in the year 1572, the Dutch conquered the town of Den Briel from Spain which was led by the commander Lord Alva. This happened on the first of April. This led to the independence of the Netherlands from the hands of the Spanish. Hence there is an old saying connected to this incidence. “Op 1 april / Verloor Alva zijn Bril“which means “On April 1st / Lord Alva lost his ‘glasses’”. “Bril” means glasses in Dutch. This leads to the origin of the Netherlands celebrating this day for humiliation of Lord Alva for his loss and playing pranks all over on this day to celebrate the independence and also to celebrate Fools’ Day.
Local name: April Fools’ Day
Ways to celeberate April Fools’ Day in Netherlands
People in the Nether lands celebrate April Fools’ Day with great enthusiasm. They play pranks and tricks on people but continue to do the same until noon because if they do so, it is considered to be bad luck if they play pranks after noon. Many also like to celebrate this day by role-playing the story of Lord Alva in social gatherings and propagate the history behind this hilarious festivity.
