Fish Pranks
April Fools’ Day is all about laughs, pranks, and a little harmless chaos. Discover the quirky French “poisson d’avril” tradition and why funny gifts still make the best jokes today.
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It’s April Fools… consider yourself warned 😄
Quick 2026 update: April Fools’ Day is coming up again, and this post still makes me laugh. I may actually follow through on a prank this year… or at least think about it longer than the last six years. 😄
Although April Fools’ Day rolls around every year, this is a fun read regardless. I pranked my mom on April 1st when I was a kid, but I don't recall using fish. I applaud her for playing along with me and laughing. You are the best, Mom! I was going to prank someone yesterday, but I just ran out of time. I'll just have to save it for next year. (wink, wink, muhahaha!)
Funny gifts in Canada or gag gifts are not only great for special occasions like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or birthdays, but they also bring joy and laughter to any day of the year.
Ha, ha... now this is hilarious!
To find out how pranksters celebrate the day in France, read on. The French word for prankster is "farceur" or "farceuse" (for a female prankster), and the word for "laugh" is "rire."
Why Fish Pranks Define April Fools' Day in France
As Lent typically concludes around April 1, it's fitting that celebrations incorporating fish imagery would symbolize the end of the fasting period. Some speculate that "poisson d'avril" might derive from a corruption of the word "passion," as in the "passion of the Christ," into "poisson," the French term for fish. However, despite these cultural connections, Santino notes that there is no concrete evidence supporting this association with Christianity.
Another theory, the popular calendar change hypothesis, though widely discredited by contemporary experts, continues to surface. In 1564, King Charles IX of France implemented the Edict of Roussillon, which shifted the beginning of the calendar year from varying dates between March 25 and April 1 (varying among provinces) to January 1.
Now paper, people used to hook real dead fish onto the backs of fishermen. JACK GAROFALO/GETTY IMAGES
Pope Gregory XIII standardized January 1 as the commencement of the calendar year across the entire Christian realm through the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1582. It could be speculated that those who continued to recognize April 1 as the start of the new year, rather than January 1, were the individuals targeted as "April Fools," thereby becoming subject to pranks. However, references to "poisson d'avril" precede the 1564 edict, appearing in print as early as 1466, which refutes this explanation.
Another plausible theory involves literal fishing. As daylight extends in the northern hemisphere during spring, the onset of spring also signifies the commencement of the fishing season in France, typically around the first day of April. Some suggest that the prank of presenting a fish was intended to mock fishermen who, at this time, either lacked fish or experienced an extraordinary abundance. They would either need to wait for spawning fish to reach legal size before catching them or, once the time arrived, contend with an overwhelming rush of fish migrating upstream. According to this theory, actual herrings were the initial sea creatures of choice for the prank, with the trick being to affix a dead herring to a fisherman's back and observe how long it took for them to notice, as the fish gradually emitted a foul odor throughout the day.
The tradition of "poisson d'avril" took a different direction in the early 20th century when friends and loved ones exchanged decorative postcards adorned with elaborate fish imagery. The majority of these cards featured amusing rhymes that were often flirtatious and suggestive but presented in a humourous manner. While most cards depicted young women, flowers, and fish, occasional references to the ocean, other marine creatures, and advancements in technology such as airplanes and automobiles could also be found. Pierre Ickowicz, the chief curator of the Château de Dieppe Museum in Normandy, which houses a significant collection of these cards, notes that the tradition of exchanging cards seemed to fade shortly after World War I. The museum's collection comprises 1,716 postcards.
Poisson d’avril postcards from the 1920s and ’30s were full of flirtation and fish. WELLCOME COLLECTION/PUBLIC DOMAIN; FOTOTECA GILARDI/GETTY IMAGES
In modern-day France, the primary participants in "poisson d'avril" are typically schoolchildren, who take pleasure in affixing paper fish to the backs of their siblings, classmates, and educators. While the methods of execution have evolved over time, ranging from using dead herrings as accessories to exchanging postcards to the current practice of paper fish, the mischievous spirit of the tradition has remained constant.
While the methods have changed over time, the goal remains the same… a good laugh. Whether you call them gag gifts or novelty gifts, the idea is still to surprise someone in the most playful way possible.
Jack Santino reflects on this tradition, stating, "The concept of playing pranks on others might seem bothersome if it weren't socially sanctioned on certain occasions." He suggests that periods of transition often coincide with rites of passage during which societal norms can be temporarily disregarded. "If 'poisson d'avril' is associated with the arrival of spring," Santino suggests, "I would interpret it as a celebratory transition into a new phase of time, where part of the celebration involves engaging in activities typically deemed unacceptable."
Today, the celebration of "poisson d'avril" extends beyond France, with observances also found in neighbouring Italy and in Quebec, Canada, a former colony of France. Although its exact origins remain elusive, the tradition of the fish endures. Whether or not one chooses to partake in trickster behavior on April 1st, there is undoubtedly a collective sense of relief that the practice no longer involves the use of actual, malodorous fish—a historical aspect that, hopefully, doesn't inspire any mischievous ideas.
via atlasobscura
April Fools’ Day or not, there’s always a good reason to share a laugh… especially with the right funny gift.
