Poissons d'Avril ~ Musings on a charming French tradition of April 1st

Well, today is already April 2nd, but did you play a practical joke on a friend yesterday, or become the victim of one yourself?  I know, I know – with so many deeply worrying things going on in the world today, it’s hard to be serious about being silly.

Yet April Fool’s Day has a very old, albeit obscure, history that few people know about.  There are various contested and contradictory theories of its origin, including disputed connections with Chaucer, the zodiacal shift marking the beginning of spring in temperate climates, the 16th century change to the modern (Gregorian) calendar, the opening of fishing season in certain regions, and the most obvious – the Catholic period of Lent (with its relationship to fish).  Most people today simply take it for granted that April 1st is the day for playing pranks, without wondering why that is.  But it has a fascinatingly mysterious and convoluted origin. 

There is documentation of such a day of pranks going back at least to the late 1600’s in England, but the English-speaking world isn’t alone in this tomfoolery, the day being marked by good-natured shenanigans in many countries.  However, French history provides intriguing clues to the origin of the tradition of April 1st. ​

In France, “Poisson d’avril” (literally “April fish”) still marks the first day of April.  Some French sources claim that this term can be traced to the mid-1400’s, a “poisson d’avril” being a young messenger boy or intermediary sent by his master with a letter to be delivered to his beloved, presumably in spring (April). 

The next evidence of the phrase “poisson d’avril” in France is said to be in the 17th century, described later (around 1718) in the dictionary of the Academie Française as sending someone on a futile errand in order to make fun of them.  This usage corresponds with the Scottish and Irish April 1st tradition of sending a person (the victim of the prank) with an ostensibly important letter to a recipient who is then directed by the letter to have the fool deliver it on to someone else, and so on, like a chain letter, until the fool finally discovers he’s been played.  

Enter the Fish...

At some point in the French tradition, fish – in one form or another -- actually came into the picture for April 1st.  Some sources claim (perhaps more from reasonable theorizing than actual evidence) that this was because, after the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582, pranks were played on those who still clung to the old “new year” festivities connected with the Catholic time of Lent (and arrival of spring), which had traditionally taken place on or around April 1st. 

​When Pope Gregory XIII prescribed the new Gregorian calendar for all of Christendom in 1582, the “new year” was set at January 1st.  The theory goes that, in order to mock those following the old traditions, people would pin a fake fish to the “fool’s” back, at the end of the Lent period (about April 1st).  

“Flowers and a fish to you”, a ca.1900 April 1st post card

Yet others say that evidence of the term “poisson d’avril” existed well prior to 1582, making the calendar-related origin an untenable explanation.  They maintain that the tradition goes back to the opening of fishing season in many regions, with pranksters pinning real fish to the backs of either very successful (or unsuccessful) fishermen until of course the joke was discovered by the “fool” himself through the smell of the rotting fish.  The trouble with this assumption is that historically, dates for opening the fishing season varied widely in Europe. 

Another hypothesis claims that the April 1st tradition of pranks may have its antecedents in pagan rites of passage into spring (from the zodiac sign of Pisces – the fish -- into that of Aries), mixed with later Catholic traditions of Lent around early April, during which fish is the only permitted meat.  
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Whichever theory may be the true explanation of this phenomenon, the fact remains that it has persisted up to the present day.  In France to this day, “Poisson d’avril” involves pinning a paper fish to another person’s back, or playing good-natured pranks or tricks on friends, associates, and relatives.  

However, to go back a little in time to the early 20th century in France, through some mysterious social alchemy, the tradition of “Poisson d’avril” became mingled with what might be seen as a sort of ‘Valentine’s Day’ concept.  Pretty, often hand-coloured cards, with a mixture of whimsy and gentle humour, sweetness and lover’s rhymes, were sent between sweethearts or good friends on April 1st. 

These were extremely popular in France from about 1900 through to WWI, so much so that they are still ubiquitous in antique shops in France today.  I’ve included some examples in this essay, taken from my own collection. 

​These Edwardian “Poissons d’avril” cards combined the original 15th century concept of the intermediary messenger carrying his master’s “billet doux” along with the tradition of the April 1st fish – a sign of Lent and perhaps of plenty – often including a little prank (such as not revealing the name of the sender), to create a whimsical wish on April 1st for love, happiness, and good fortune.  

For example, the card below, from ca.1900-05, sold at the time to be sent as a loving message from a French soldier to his sweetheart, might at first seem rather bizarre, even a bit ghoulish, without an understanding of the positive, sweetly jocular, and charming connotations of this tradition in France, including the religious meaning.  The soldier is sending his love and wishes for happiness at Lenten time, as in the tradition of the 15th century origin of the April messenger of love, by way of his emissaries, the fish (which are also not coincidentally, directly connected with the Christian religious symbol). 

The rhyme says (my translation) -- "Over the noise of the cannon my exiled heart/Sends you, along with my best wishes, some lovely April fish". 

​Colourful flowers and ribbons often figured with the proffered fish on such cards.  The fish itself was frequently the stand-in for the sender, as in this charming little card, the rhyme expressing a sentiment not unlike a Valentine’s Day card from a secret admirer: “Le nom du poisson, je dois le taire/ c’est un doux secret, c’est un mystère…” (“The name of the fish, I must not say/ ’tis a sweet secret, a mystery”).  

​As one typical example of these cards stated: “Poissons d’Avril portent Bonheur” (“April fish bring happiness”), the word « bonheur » meaning both happiness and good fortune (or good luck) in French, a little missive of love to a friend or sweetheart. 

​My special interest in these charming cards are the photographs (rather rare in themselves for the time period), mostly showing people in dressy but presumably typical garments and hairstyles of the day.  This is an unintended, and therefore probably candid, look at Edwardian and 1910's fashion as it was worn, which adds another layer to the historical understanding of costume of the era. 

​Beyond this, the cards themselves are certainly little windows into the social mores and expectations of life over a hundred years ago in France, as reflected in the April 1st card below, ca.1904, which hints at the "very sweet things" she has entrusted to the fish she sends along to her sweetheart. 

Today in much of the world of course, we send pranks, rather than sweet cards, on April 1st, with public entities, media, and corporations getting in on the practical jokes.  On this April 1st of 2022 the usual pranks seemed to be mostly absent, although understandably so, with both a pandemic and a brutal war constantly in the background.  Few are in the mood for practical jokes and silly levity right now. 

Yet with its history extending back centuries, this means of spreading laughter, fun, and mischievous friendship on one particular day of the year is surely worth perpetuating.

Whichever origin theory you may subscribe to, I hope April 1st brought you some smiles, happiness, and the hope of good fortune, with or without the pranks!