The Free Ride Blog
MUNDANE MYSTERIES: How Did April Fools’ Day Originate?
Whenever April 1st, or “April Fools’ Day” rolls around each year, as tricksters will pull out all the stops to play perfect pranks or hatch horrible hoaxes. Whether you love the occasion or dread it, you’ve probably wondered at one time or another how this weird tradition started. And the answer to that is…no one really knows. As a matter of fact, April Fools’ Day origins, themselves, have been questioned for centuries through myth & legend.
Some historians say the origins of April Fools’ Day go all the way back to Noah, when he sent out a dove before the flood was over. Others say it has its roots in certain aspects of the Roman Saturnalia festival. But probably the most popular hypothesis traces April Fools’ Day back to a French term: “poisson d’avril”, literally meaning “fish of April” (and figuratively meaning “April Fools”).
“Poisson d’avril” didn’t originally mean “an April Fool”, however. Starting in the 1400s, “poisson d’avril” meant “a go-between”, largely due to there being two different meanings for another French word, “maquereau”, which had come to the French language via the Dutch language. One of those meanings was “makreel” (meaning “mackerel” [the fish]) while the other was “makelaar” (meaning “broker”). So, to help alleviate confusion, another name for the fish form eventually developed: “poisson d’avril”, since it was “a fish easily caught by deception, singly, as well as in great shoals, at this season of the year”.
As the years went on, “poisson d’avril” came to mean a person who was the go-between for matchmaking. Then, as the theories go, people began playing pranks on those go-betweens by sending them on increasingly ridiculous missions in the name of love. And, according to The Museum of Hoaxes, the first unambiguous reference to April Fools’ Day came in the form of a 1561 Flemish story about a nobleman who sent one of his servants on ridiculous errands to prepare for a wedding feast. Even today, many Flemish speakers call April 1“verzenderkesdag”, which translates to “errand day”.
Whatever you call April 1st, the very nature of the “holiday” means you should take most of what you’re told with a grain of salt. (Though, that’s probably a good idea every other day of the year, as well.)
Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me an email: [email protected].
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MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Where Did The Easter Bunny Come From?
Even if you allow for miracles, angels, and pancake Jesus, the Easter Bunny still comes across as a pretty far-out choice as a holiday mascot. Where did the Easter Bunny come from? How did a rabbit become associated with a holiday that commemorates Christ’s resurrection?
The Bible doesn’t mention a cheerful rabbit hopping house to house with baskets of eggs for kids to hunt on Easter Sunday. But because hares (rabbits) symbolize fertility in many cultures, and since spring is the season of rebirth & renewal, some believe those ideas played a big part in bunnies getting linked to Easter. Hares have also been closely tied to certain deities, like Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of springtime & fertility. Legend says that Eostre once saved a wounded bird, whose frostbitten wings led Eostre to transform the bird into a hare. To thank Eostre, the hare would return once a year during the festival of Eostre & lay colored eggs, since eggs were viewed as emblematic of the renewal of life.
Then, when Christianity began to spread, missionaries would frequently place pagan ideas & rituals within the context of the Christian faith, partly by transforming pagan festivals into Christian holidays. The Eostre festival, which was held around the spring equinox, soon became the same time when Christians would also celebrate Christ’s resurrection. And eventually, the two celebrations became one, with Eostre’s name ultimately being co-opted as the holiday’s name.
But what about Easter eggs? Well, within Christianity, eggs are representative of Christ’s resurrection, which is why some Christians will refrain from eating them during Lent and, instead, decorate them to celebrate the start of spring. Easter eggs are also found in late 16th century Germanic writings, as they converted the pagan hare imagery into “Oschter Haws”, a much cuter cottontail who’d leave batches of colored eggs in gardens once each year for good children to hunt for. The Pennsylvania Dutch brought Oschter Haws with them in the 1700s as they settled here in America, after which he eventually evolved into the Easter bunny we all now know & love, bringing chocolate & toys alongside the traditional eggs.
Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me an email: [email protected].
BROUGHT TO YOU BY: BPG USA
MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Do Teeth Whiteners Really Work?
Teeth whitening is a multibillion-dollar industry. Products are being used by more than 11% of households every year. We’re definitely paying for whiter teeth, but are we getting them? Do teeth whiteners really work? HOW do they work?
First, do they work? Well…sort of. Their overall effectiveness really varies. Nearly all commercially available teeth whitening products include hydrogen peroxide, from the ones done at your dentist’s office to your at-home whitening strips to even your mouthwash. But their effectiveness ultimately depends on 3 things: how concentrated they are, how long they stay on your teeth, and where the discoloration is on your teeth.
Using a concentrated product as directed will most likely give you a brightening effect. But unfortunately, it’ll only be temporary. Once you stop bleaching, the effects regress & your chompers return to their original color. So, it becomes a process you have to do again & again. But, while bleaching agents are mostly safe in small doses, they’re concentrated products that aren’t intended for long-term use. Over time, soaking your teeth in them ends up hurting your teeth & gums.
So, if a lifelong bleaching habit isn’t viable, what about all those “natural” whitening remedies we’ve all seen online? Well, dentists agree that baking soda is safe as long as you also brush your teeth with toothpaste. But baking soda can only scrub your teeth, not brighten them. Or, if you’re a fan of Dr. Oz, then you may know he once touted that you can whiten your teeth by brushing with a mixture of strawberries & baking soda. On behalf of your dentist: do not do this. Scientists actually tested that mixture on extracted human teeth & basically said “absolutely not”. Because not only does the strawberry/baking soda combo not brighten teeth, it actually hurts them. Strawberries contain a naturally occurring compound known as malic acid, which will eat away at your teeth’s enamel. And that’ll only make them softer, not whiter.
So, just be careful with whatever you may choose to use to brighten your smile. But if your teeth are genuinely important enough to you to try & whiten them, there’s only 2 things that will always help: regular brushing & flossing.
Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me an email: [email protected].
BROUGHT TO YOU BY: BPG USA
Andy Webb, a 27-year Radio entertainer & content creator, is WFRE’s Program Director & host of “The Free Country Free Ride” weekday afternoons from 3pm-7pm.
From his very first job in 1995 in his hometown of Meridian, MS, Radio has been the only occupation Andy’s ever known; from the age of reel-to-reel tape to today’s digital audio, he worked his way up through late-night air shifts all the way up to morning drive. Andy’s been featured across many different formats, including Country, Classic Rock, Adult Contemporary, Hot AC, Southern Gospel, and even Urban AC.
As testament to his talents & commitment to fun-yet-informative Radio, Andy was awarded the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters’ “Radio Personality of the Year” award 4-out-of-5 years, from 2006 to 2011. And he’s been named one of the “Best Program Directors in Country Radio” by Radio Ink magazine in both 2022 & 2023.
Andy attended The University of Southern Mississippi on an Opera Performance scholarship, but he always followed the path Radio set before him, a path which has taken him from his hometown to Hattiesburg, MS, to Charleston, SC, and now Frederick, MD.
Andy is devoted to his wife, Emma (WFRE’s Midday host), and daughter, Isabel, and loves spending his infrequent free time golfing, wood-working, motorcycle riding, and horseback riding.
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