Are you on red alert for pranks and fake news April 1st? It’s just an extension of centuries-old tradition to entertain and trick – or is it?

EDMONTON, Alta. Mar. 31, 2017 /Troy Media/ – On April Fool’s Day, we’re on red alert for pranks, hoaxes and fake news – and it’s been going on for centuries, from an era when court jesters were common.

With no TV, movies or Internet, jesters, jokers or fools were the entertainers of Medieval and Renaissance times. They often started out as travelling performers who, with minstrels, entertained at fairs and markets.

The fools who gained greatest prominence were those who entertained monarchs and noblemen, as part of the household staff.

Being a court jester was the career pinnacle for the quick-witted and talented few. They could rise above the simple nomadic existence, entertaining peasants living in filth, disease and poverty. Their new life was to entertain a captive audience, and enjoy stability, shelter and more to eat in one meal than others had in a week.

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