Poisson d’Avril: Of Fish and April First..

In America, today is the day when we are often somewhat on guard against being the victim of a practical joke.

In France, young and old alike must watch their backs….literally!   This is the day when a lovable Gallic prankster will attempt to stick a Fish on your back.

April First is known for the tradition of poisson d’avril, which is a tradition that supposedly dates back to the 16^th century.

The origin of the tradition remains a mystery – but a general theory or popular legend goes that until around the middle of the 16^th century, people celebrated the New Year around April 1^st.

It wasn’t until the ascension of Charles IX that the French state officially recognized January 1^st as the beginning of the New Year.   This change to the French calendar was enforced by the Edict of Roussillon.

Old habits die hard, as many people at the time still continued to celebrate the New Year around April 1^st.   For those who had embraced the new calendar, this presented an opportunity for them to have a little joke on those who did not wish to change with the times.

Supposedly, April 1^st happened to coincide with the end of the Christian liturgical season of Lent, wherein Christians were forbidden to eat meat until the end of Good Friday – when the remembrance of the Crucifiction of Jesus of Nazareth would end.

As such Fish were plentiful at this time and were often given as fake presents to those still keeping to the idea that April First was the New Year.