POISSON D’AVRIL

L’HISTOIRE

• New Year originally started on April 1st.
• King Charles IX said no and changed the date to the first of January with the Edict of Roussillon.
• However, people were mad and decided to ignore the Edict and continue to celebrate on April 1st while mocking those who celebrated on January 1st.

WHY A FISH?

• Lent! When April 1st was the start of the new year, people couldn’t eat meat because of Lent. So they gave out fish!
• When the tradition changed, people gave out fake fish on April 1st to those who celebrated January 1st to make fun of them!

HOW DO OTHER COUNTRIES CELEBRATE?

• United Kingdom:
  • Joking stops at midday.
  • Those who continue to make jokes are considered the fool
• Scotland and Ireland:
  • Huntigowk Day
  • Deliver a sealed message
  • Continue to have the messenger deliver the sealed message
  • Because the message just says, “Send the fool further.”
• Poland, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden:
  • Media hoaxes are made
  • First page is typically the news hoax
  • Not too serious and only 1 story but never know which story is fake
• Italy, France, Belgium, and French Speaking Areas:
  • April Fish
  • Stick on someone’s back

VOCABULARY FOR THE DAY

• Une farce: a practical joke
• Une blague: a joke (physical or verbal)
• Une histoire drôle: verbal funny story
• Un jeu de mot: a pun
• Rire: to laugh
• Rigoler: to laugh
• Je suis mort(e) de rire: I died from laughing
• Je suis pété(e) de rire: I’m broken in two from laughing.

UNE CHOSE INTERESSANTE

• April Fool’s day is not a national holiday!!
• Rather, it is merely widely celebrated in many countries.