Re: CHAT April Fools (Was Re: Has Anyone Heard of This?)

In a message dated 4/1/2004 9:04:28 PM Eastern Standard Time,
ThatBlueCat@AOL.COM writes:

>>Some hold (and I think this is the older view) that April Fool's jokes may
be
>>told only until noon
>I'd never heard of this.  I've no doubt it exists, but for some reason it
wasn't passed down to >me.  Even so, mine was right after midnight, so it
worked.  :)  At any rate, is this a >Germanic custom?  Indo-European?  I've always
been curious.  Is there a website on it >somewhere?

I've never run into the end-at-noon rule where I live (in the Northeatern
USA), but _The  Lore and Language of Schoolchildren_ by Iona & Peter Opie says
the rule is "rigid and everywhere acknowledged" in England.

Doug