So people started giving them faux fish as a form of consolation. Because fish often spawn and replenish their numbers in April, fisherman were supposedly banned from catching anything during this period. And yet another has to do with the fishing season. Another one links the fish to the zodiacal sign Pisces, which covers late February to late March. One theory involves the Christian celebration of Lent, or le Carême, when meat is forgone in favor of fish. However, a number of interesting theories exist… The April Fish seems to live in equally murky waters with its uncertain origin story. (One such time was at the end of March or early April.) So, t o mock these stubborn individuals, others started pranking them with fake gifts, thereby creating the tradition of playing practical jokes on April 1st! However, pockets of resistance existed and some people continued to celebrate and exchange New Year’s gifts during their preferred time. ➡️ Psst! Check out the bottom of this post for examples of some famous poissons d’avril. Some of them are very clever! How did this tradition begin?Īdmittedly, the history of pulling pranks on le 1 er avril is, at best, speculative. Nevertheless, the story that’s most often cited takes us back to 1564 when the French King, Charles IX, standardized the French calendar.īy selecting January 1, Charles IX sought to eliminate the bureaucratic headache of regional differences in the start date of the new year. Simple, cute, classic.īut while paper fish are the domain of children, don’t think that the adults sit this one out! In fact, in France and other francophone regions like Québec, Belgium, and Switzerland, many grown-ups will go all-out during this prank fest! Examples of their playful machinations include bogus headlines published by media outlets and elaborate marketing campaigns designed to make you do a double take or think twice! When that unsuspecting person realizes he or she has been tagged, the pranksters will then shout, “ Poisson d’avril !” before scarpering. It involves cutting out a paper fish and secretly sticking it on someone’s back. The classic poisson d’avril (April Fools’ prank) is the one you’ll see many francophone children giggling over.
Poisson d’avril – April Fool literally: “Fish of April”įirst of all, pranksters, rejoice! For le 1 er avril is much like its English counterpart, April Fools’ Day! And just as many anglophones delight in jokes and pranks on April 1st, many francophones will happily join in with poissons d’avril. On est le premier avril ! This means we’re all about the Poisson d’avril. ? Find out how April Fools’ Day is celebrated à la française et en français and pick up crucial vocabulary!
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