For the non-francophiles among us, the poisson d’avril (fish of April) is the French equivalent of our April Fool’s Day. Paper fish are surreptitiously stuck on someone’s back and when the person discovers this: Ha-ha! Poisson d’avril! But until I read a recent entry on the French idiom website expressio.fr, it never occurred to me to ask “why a fish?”.
Apparently theories abound, but no one is absolutely sure of the origin of this custom. Some say it dates back to the 1500’s when the King of France changed New Year’s Day from April 1st to January 1st. (Raise your hand if you knew this calendar factoid; I didn’t). According to this theory, it took quite awhile for news of the change to reach the provinces. Those still celebrating the ‘old’ New Year’s Day on April 1st were called poissons d’avril and became the butt of jokes.
Other theories relate to April being a good fishing period in France. Then there is the springtime connection: l’amour… l’amour. The French word for mackerel (the fish) is un maquereau which is also argot for a pimp. Another speculation is that it relates to the end of Lent, generally around April 1st. Many used to forego meat during Lent, substituting fish. One supposition goes back to Ancient Greece where they celebrated the god of laughter on April 1st. But I am weak on the subject of Greek mythology and never heard of a god of laughter. I also know little about astrology other than my birth sign and can’t evaluate the premise that poisson d’avril is somehow connected to Pisces and the movement of the sun or moon in the zodiac cosmology.
My favorite part of poisson d’avril and April Fools’ Day in France is the custom of selling chocolate fish. I’ll celebrate any holiday that features chocolate!
Cynthia Tuttelman (aka "Tut") is a writer, family doctor and quilter who lives in Northern California and part-time each year in Paris, France. Follow along and explore the wonders of Paris.