April Fools or… April Fish?
For many people in North America, April 1st is a very special day. Not only does it often coincide with the beginning of spring, or the celebration of Easter for Christians, but also because it is a day where people often pull pranks on others. The “victims” of these games and pranks are often called April fools. You may be very acquainted with this celebration, but did you know that it originated in France, and that they also celebrate April fools?
While there is not one specific explanation as to why we celebrate April fools, authors like Alan Dundes, in his article “April Fool and April Fish” suggest that in antiquity April 1st was considered the beginning of the year, because of its proximity with the Spring equinox and Easter. In many communities April was also the end of a fasting period and so people would offer their neighbours fish and meat as treats to celebrate the end of the fasting season and to welcome spring.
However, according to our friend from “Un jour, une question” during the 16th century, king Charles IX decided to establish January 1st as the beginning of the New Year, however this message took time to expand and travel through all the territory, and so many people would still celebrate New Year’s Day in April instead of on January 1st. Because of this, people started to pull pranks on others who continued to celebrate New Years late in the year, and started to gift them fake fish made of paper to let them know they were the “Poisson d’avril” or “April’s fools”. This continues to be a very popular prank done at schools in France and other Francophone communities, especially among the younger children.
April Fools Nowadays
During the end of the 20th and during the 21st Century, April fools has become a widely known tradition in many places around the world. In France, it is common that on this day even big newspapers or news outlets release fake news especially designed to prank their public! While I personally do not enjoy being pranked on, I do believe it can be a fun day to engage in creative and fun activities. That is the case of the program “Brico-blagues” (Arts and Pranks) From TFO Jeunesse, where they present different arts and crafts that can also double as props for pranks.
Do you like celebrating April fools? Did you do any funny pranks?