April Fools Day – Poisson d’avril in France
In England you have April Fools Day and in France we have “Poisson d’avril”. It’s the same kind of thing; practical jokes on family and friends, jokes and hoaxes to catch the unwary. Last year Alex convinced me my bald patch was shrinking and I persuaded her we were losing weight. How we laughed.
The English have Spaghetti trees and the Island of Sans Serif. The special French twist is cutting fish shapes out of paper and trying to stick them on the backs of your friends without them noticing. This turns the victims into a “poisson d’avril” with much smirking and shrieks of delight because it’s mainly French Children who take part in this tradition. There is a food side to all of this, as you might expect in France, and patisseries get in on the act with lots of delicious fish-shaped cakes and chocolates.
You are all asking of course. “And just when did this tradition start?”
In fact it goes back to 1564. Up till then April 1st was the start of the New Year in France and people gave each other little presents to celebrate. Then King Charles IX passed an edict changing the calendar so that New Years Day was on January 1st instead. People carried on making and giving little presents on April 1st, just out of habit, but as they were no longer New Year’s gifts they got to be more “cadeaux pour rire” (funny presents to make you laugh).
I have actually always thought the New Year felt like it began in April; the springtime, new life, nature twittering and all. Shame Charles changed it really.
ANYWAY . .
I suppose you are now curious about the fish thing? Funny you should ask because the first day of April used to also be the start of the close season for fishing in rivers. They stopped fishing to let the fish breed in peace. The tradition was to tease fresh-water fishermen by offering them salt-water fish from the sea. Droll I know. Indeed the dates were really convenient too – April 1st fell in Lent when all good Christians (and some not so good) were forbidden to eat meat and they snacked into fish instead.
NOWADAYS
Young children go the scissors and coloured paper route and prefer targets like their parents, pets and each other. Teenagers and other really cool people tend to rely on post-it notes with things like “Tapez-moi” and “Je suis nulle” written on them. One favourite post-it is “J’Adore ….” Followed by the name of whoever is the current holder of the “most uncool and derided celebrity youth of the month” award.
Don’t worry though. It’s all in good fun. You just have to watch your back.
“Tapez-moi” = “Hit me!” “Je suis nulle” = “I’m thick” “J’Adore ..”= “I love . . . “
What erudition and learning you cry! No, not at all, I might just about manage a pub quiz as long as there were no questions on celebrities or sport. It’s really the magic of the internet and the glory of search engines plus a bit translation.