Which day is called Gowk Day in Scotland?
April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes.
In Scotland, April Fools' Day was originally called "Huntigowk Day". The name is a corruption of "hunt the gowk", gowk being Scots for a cuckoo or a foolish person.
The traditional prank is to ask someone to deliver a sealed message that supposedly requests help of some sort. In fact, the message reads "Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile." The recipient, upon reading it, will explain they can only help if they first contact another person, and they send the victim to this next person with an identical message, with the same result.
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What are your thoughts on this subject?
11 Comments
John McLardie
Long, long time since I've heard that phrase.
Shirley Campbell
Sounds like a snipe hunt in the USA. They are fun for the ones playing the joke.
rosemarymee
Known to older people in Central Scotland. Similar to sending an apprentice for tartan paint...
marijohnross
I learned something.
Dennis Janice Clark
Souter Johnny any of the Scots out there ?
earlepg
Jim Mascair, That it sounded foolish is what drew me to April Fool's Day.
Char
Great Q and A
Jim Mascair
Knowing April Fóols day is April 1st, I chose another day. The jokes on me today.
John McLardie
Player, tbf it isn't well known in the West Coast area, particularly around Glasgow, but I have family from Dumfries & Galloway (my late mothers' side) and Islay (my late fathers'). I also think the phrase in more common nowadays in the East.
Player
John McLardie, I've never heard it, I'll need to ask my dear mother if she has.
John Manley
Matthew James Bradley, April, June, September and November all have 30 days!