From April 1st to May 5th in the National Library of Belarus (in the circular hall on the third floor) is open a book-illustrative exhibition “The art of laughter”.
Realizing that humor plays an important role in professional, social and private human’s life the National Library of Belarus offers a positive exhibition "The art of laughter" which guarantees a good mood on the eve of the unofficial holiday the Laughter Day.
Many scientists consider humor as a sure sign that a person is intellectually and mentally healthy. Mark Twain said that one spark of humor is enough for severity, irritation and anger have disappeared and high spirit and good mood appeared. Humor helps to find creative power, to stir mental activity, to cope with stress situations and to be healthy.
For many years our ancestries have believed in the healing force of laughter. The first records of the day dedicated to the God of laughter date from the Ancient Rome where at the end of February people celebrated The Fool’s Day. According to other versions, this custom has arisen in the ancient India where people still celebrate the Day of Jokes on March 31st.
In France in 1564 Carl IXth issued an edict which directed the New Year celebration to be moved from April 1st to January 1st. In spite of this some people continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1st and the others played a joke on them giving them empty presents.
One of the versions of the origin of this holiday is the story about the Neapolitan king who once had a fish cooked for a holiday. That lovely dish the monarch asked a year later on the same day, but his cook couldn’t find that sort of fish and cooked another one in the same way. However the king noticed that substitution and burst out laughing. Thus according to the legend the tradition to laugh on April 1st has appeared.
On opinion of many historians and ethnographers, the Slavs’ celebration of April 1st is the echo of a pagan ceremony dedicated to spring coming. Being afraid of the Winter and wanting it to go away the Slavs disguised themselves in animal skin, put on masks for the Winter didn’t recognize them. They burned down a stuffed toy symbolizing the Winter and welcomed the Spring.
The traditions of the Day of Humor celebration and its name haven’t changed a lot since ancient days. In Italy this day is called the Fool Day, in England – the Trickery Day, in Scotland – The Day of Cuckoos, in Japan – the Day of Dolls, in USA – the April Fool Day. In Belarus people also don’t lose an opportunity to play a trick on their friends, relatives and colleagues on the Laughter Day.
The books displayed at this exhibition reveal the nature of laughter in different ways, forms and genres. The exposition includes aphorisms and caricatures, curious stories from famous and great peoples’ lives and performance scripts of the Comedy Club residents, intellectual humor in great literature works and examples of everyday nonsense in short messages, theatre fables and professional jokes.
Contact: (+375-17) 293-28-86, 293-29-80.
Dear users! The subject lists of literature displayed at the Library exhibitions are available in all reading rooms at any workbench.
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