Poisson of April

A fish of April is a joke, even a Canular, which one makes on April 1st to his knowledge or his friends. It is also of habit to make hoaxes in the press, as well written, radio and televised, and more recently on Internet.

For the children, it consists in hanging a Poisson paper in the back of people which one wants gausser. “Poisson of April! ” is also the exclamation which one pushes once one of the jokes is discovered, or to inform the victim of a hoax which the history which one has just told him is false.

Origin

This tradition would find its origin in France, in 1564. Hitherto, the year would have started with, but the king of France Charles IX decided, by the edict of Roussillon, that the year would begin from now on it, mark of the extension of the days, instead of at the end of March, arrived from spring. But makes some, the calendar year forever begun an April 1st. If the exact origin of the use of fish remains obscure (perhaps the Christian Ichtus), the legend wants that several of its subjects were rebiffèrent with the idea that the calendar was chamboulât to them, and they continued to celebrate the surroundings of April 1st. To treat to their head nicely, from congeneric benefitted from the occasion to give to them of false gifts and to play to them of the rotten tricks. Thus was born the fish, the fish of April, the day of insane, the day of those which do not accept reality or see it differently.

Several uses seem to be in fact mixed, with that of the Carnaval:

to mark the exit of the sign zodiacal of the Poisson, last sign of the Winter
to prolong the period of the Lent, where it was allowed to eat only fish,
to confuse the simpleton by offering a fish to him to one time of the year, that of the abrasion, where fishing was prohibited.

This habit to make jokes was spread in many countries, although the fish is not always exported at the same time:

the British preserved to them April Fool' S Day (some Écossais also speak about Gowk or Cuckoo ),
the Germans have to them Aprilscherz ,
in addition to the France, this habit also exists with the Netherlands, in Belgium, with the Canada, in Italy, with the the United States, in Suisse or even with the Japan.

In France, at the beginning of the 20th century, one was sent pretty postcards all decorated with a fish of April and richly decorated. One was written, for this occasion, of the cordial messages and one was sent wishes.

Comparable event

There exists, also in Spain, a comparable festival, which falls however the December 28th. It is the day of the innocent holy '' '' ( dia of los santos innocent or dia of los innocent ), which commemorates the clerk massacre of the innocent, according to the Bible, by Hérode. Crossed with pagan rites like the Festival of Insane the, it became the day of the jokes and the hoaxes, with the manner of April first. It is a small paper character which one hangs to the back people which one wants to make fun.

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