[originaltext] While popular in the U. S. , the April Fool’s Day tradition i

While popular in the U. S. , the April Fool’s Day tradition is even more prevalent in European countries, such as France and Great Britain. (29) Although the roots of the traditional trickings are unclear, the French and the British both have claims on the origin of the celebration.
    An English story about the day, however, holds that it began sometime during the 1200s. At the time, King John of England was in the habit of making a road out of nearly every path he walked regularly. The citizens of one particular farm village were aware of this. (30) To avoid having their green lands disturbed with one of the king’s roads, they built a fence that prevented the king from walking through their countryside. The king sent a group of messengers to inform the villagers that they must remove the barrier. Upon hearing that the king was planning to do this, however, the villagers developed a plan of their own. (31) When the messengers arrived, they found a community of people behaving in a strange manner, throwing things and running around wildly. The messengers, surprised by what they had found, reported to King John that these people were so mad as to be beyond punishment. So, the villagers saved their farmland by tricking the King. In Great Britain, tradition only allows April Fool’s tricks from midnight to noon on April 1. Those who try to play tricks in the afternoon become the fools themselves.
29. What are the roots of the traditional trickings on April Fool’s Day?
30. Why did the citizens build a fence around their green lands?
31. How did the villagers save their farmland?