While popular in the U. S. , the April Fools Day tradition is even more prevalent in Europ

ean countries, such as France and Great Britain. Although the roots of the traditional tricking are unclear, the French and the British both have claims on the origin of the celebration. One theory holds that the first April Fools Day was on April 1 of the year when King of France instituted the new calendar. This new system placed the day that had formerly been the first day of a new year on April 1. Many people were reluctant to adjust to the new calendar and continued to celebrate New Years Day on what had become the first day of April. Thus, they became the first April Fools. 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. To avoid having their green meadows and pastures disturbed with one of the kings roads, they built a fence that prevented the king from walking through their countryside. The king sent a group of messengers to inform. 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. When the messengers arrived, they found what appeared to be a community of lunatics, with people behaving in a bizarre manner, throwing things and running around wildly. The messengers, alarmed at 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 Fools tricks from midnight to noon on April 1. Those who try to play tricks in the afternoon become the fools themselves.

The word "prevalent" in the first sentence is nearest in meaning to "______".

A．unusual

B．traditional

C．prevailing

D．prosperous