The Month of April 2021: Holidays, Fun Facts, Folklore

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The Month of April

The month of April gets its name from the Latin word aperio, meaning “to open [bud],” because plants really begin to grow now. Read more about how the months got their names.

April Calendar

• April 1 is All Fools’ Day—otherwise known as “April Fools’ Day.” Where did this silly day come from?
• April 2 is Good Friday. Learn more about Good Friday.
• April 4 is Easter Sunday. (May 2 is Orthodox Easter.)  Did you know that Easter’s date is related to the full Moon?
• April 10 is Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter and the last Sunday of Lent.
• April 12 marks the start of Ramadan (beginning at sundown). Learn more about Ramadan.
• April 15 is the start of Passover, which begins at sundown on this day. 
• April 22 is Earth Day. To celebrate, see some Earth Day ideas and activities.
• April 24 is the birthday of Robert B. Thomas, the founder of The Old Farmer’s Almanac!
• April 30 is National Arbor Day. Find out who started Arbor Day and how we observe this day honoring trees.

“Just for Fun” Days

• Apr. 1: Sweet Potato Day
• Apr. 6: International Pillow Fight Day
• Apr. 7: National No Housework Day
• Apr. 17: Blah, Blah, Blah Day
• Apr. 21: Go Fly a Kite Day
• Apr. 26: National Richter Scale Day
• Apr. 27: National Sense of Smell Day

April Astronomy

The Full Pink Moon

April’s full Pink Moon will rise on the night of Monday, April 26, reaching peak illumination at 11:33 P.M. ET. This full Moon is one of two supermoons this year. Learn more about April’s full Moon here.

April Moon Phases

• Last Quarter: Apr. 4, 6:04 A.M. EDT
• New Moon: Apr. 11, 10:32 P.M. EDT
• First Quarter: Apr. 20, 3:00 A.M. EDT
• Full Moon: Apr. 26, 11:33 P.M. EDT

April Weather

A cold April the barn will fill.

This month brings us some capricious weather! April rains bring verdant pastures, but also umbrellas and rain boots!

See your 5-day forecast and long-range weather forecast to plan ahead.

Recipes for the Season

Springtime brings the first crops of the season. See a few of our favorite seasonal recipes:

• Cream of Fiddlehead Soup
• Spring Vegetable Salad
• Sorrel Linguine With Spring Peas, Green Garlic, and Fresh Ricotta

See all our Spring Recipe Collection using seasonal ingredients from across North America!

Gardening

Does the warmth of spring turn your thoughts to gardening? 

• Monthly Gardening Jobs
• Make a Container Gardening Planter
• Plant Guides to Roses, Flowers, and Shrubs
• Plant Guides to Vegetable, Herbs, Fruit
• Starting Your Garden

Everyday Advice

Are you daunted by the thought of a top-to-bottom spring cleaning? Here are some tips to help.

• Make Your Own Cleaners
• Homemade Cleaners for Carpet, Floor, Glass, Drains

Credit: Kazoka/Shutterstock

Birds & Fishing

Enjoy the signs of spring! 

• Creating a Bird-Friendly Habitat
• Listen to Bird Sounds
• Best Fishing Days for April

April Birthstone & Birth Flower

 Birthstone: Diamond. Read more about diamonds!

Birth Flowers: Daisy and Sweet Pea. Read about April’s birth flowers.

April’s Quiz

Which event did not happen in April?

A. “Shot heard ’round the world”/Battles of Lexington and Concord

B. Mutiny on the HMS Bounty

C. First transcontinental railroad completed at Promontory Summit in Utah Territory 

D. Harrowing flight of Apollo 13

See answer below!

Rhyme Time

April cold with dripping rain
Willows and lilacs brings again,
The whistle of returning birds,
And trumpet-lowing of the herds.
–Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82)

Oh, how fresh the wind is blowing!
See! The sky is bright an clear,
Oh, how green the grass is growing!
April! April! Are you here?
–Dora R. Goodale (1866–1953)

ANSWER TO QUIZ:  C, on May 10, 1869. (A. April 19, 1775; B. April 28, 1789; D. April 11–17, 1970)