Poisson d'avril

April Fool’s Day, celebrated on the 1st of April, is a time when people all over the world like to play pranks on one another - including in France, where it’s known as Poisson d’avril - 'April fish'.

Why ‘April fish’? Well, this catchy name has obscure origins. While it’s known as April Fool’s Day in the Anglophone world, and Aprilscherz in Germany, it’s known as poisson d’avril in the Francophone regions of Canada, Belgium and Switzerland, as well as as Pesce d’aprile (April Fish) in Italy.

The earliest reference we have to April Fools actually comes from France, namely from a poem by Pierre Michault written in 1466, where the term ‘poisson d’avril’ is used to refer to a servant who carries his master’s love letters. It’s difficult to say why exactly the word ‘poisson’ was used, or why, although some have linked the Christian symbol of the fish to the end of Lent and the start of Easter, as the 1st of April typically falls around this time. Another theory links the 1st of April to the start of the fishing season in many countries, when a tradition of offering fishermen a herring would come into play. This developed into the modern-day tradition of hanging a fish on the back of an unsuspecting person to make fun of them.

What is certain is that the first day of April is bound to be full of pranks and jokes of all sorts. On this day, newspapers will often run made-up, humorous stories, people will share invented gossip or jokes with another and the social media accounts of popular brands will make dubious announcements about fictional products or unbelievable pieces of news. In France in particular, hanging a fish - real or fake - on someone else’s back is the go-to prank.