April Fish!

No one is entirely sure why fish were chosen as part of the French celebration, but to this day Poisson D'Avril (which means April Fish) is a day for games and all around silliness. April 1st, or April Fool's, is a day for French children (and adults) to play silly pranks, one of which includes attaching a fish onto someones back and seeing how long before they notice.

The holiday is known to date back to at least 1564. For a long time New Year's had been celebrated on April 1st, but in 1563 King Charles IX of France decided that henceforth the New Year would begin on January 1st. It is likely not everyone was happy with the change, and also possible some people had no idea the change was made at all. Regardless the first day in April was still a day of celebration. Those who got on board with the new calendar started to make fun of those who weren't. They used the day to play tricks, including to attach a dried fish to the back of the "fool's" shirt.

Some have said that April is not a good month for fishing, so perhaps individuals threw dried fish into the water hoping to trick fishermen, and then sat and watched them try to "catch" the fish. It is also possible that the use of fish has to do with Lent. April 1st often coincides with the end of Lent during which the faithful are forbidden to eat meat - but fish is still considered appropriate. Perhaps this is why people began using false fish to trick their victims. Regardless of how it began it is still a lot of fun today. Today French children will color their own paper fishes for use in their very own pranks. If you do trick someone with a fish make sure to shout "Poisson D'Avril!"