April First Joke that Still Makes me Laugh and Yann Not so Much

 

April's Fool in France

 

On April 1st the French give each other chocolate fish called: "Friture." The tradition has it that on the 1st of April children try to stick a homemade paper fish onto people’s backs without the person knowing it, then run away yelling, ‘Poisson d’Avril’ (April's Fish), which is like saying, "April Fools'!". The tagged person is meant to give the trickster fritures, small chocolate fishes.

Since Easter is usually around April 1st, the chocolate fish "fritures" are also given at Easter as well.

Back in the day, or I should say in the year 1900s give or take another thirty or so, the French mailed Poisson d'Avril cards to one another. 

 

 

French April's Fool

 

When French Husband first told me about this April's Fool fish thing it was back in 1987. 

I had come to France to meet his family. During this time, which happened to be around the first of April he told me that April's Fool was about tricking someone by pinning or tapping a paper fish on someone's back.

A few days later on April first. I made two small red fish. French Husband and my Belle Mere (Mother in Law) were going to a meeting. Before they left I sneakily taped one fish on French Husband's back and another on my Belle Mere's back without them being aware.

I was tickled beyond belief at how "French" I felt as they walked out the door to their meeting.

When they came back I asked if anyone had noticed the fish tapped to their backs?

"What fish they asked?"

Their eyes widen as it registered what I was talking about, they quickly looked at each other's backs. I told them I had taped the fish to their backs before they left for their meeting.

 

 

1st of April in France

 

 

Neither of them was amused.

In fact they looked at me like I was some sort of alien fish. I could feel myself sinking, going downstream. I had made a faux pas on the day were faux pas are expected. Duh.

French Husband questioned, "You put a fish on our backs as we went to an important meeting with our lawyer?"

"Uh huh. I did. But in my defense, I didn't know the meeting was important."

Needless to say, they didn't buy me any fritures chocolates.

I felt such a fool.

 

But it is SUCH a good memory!

WHY fish for April's fool

 

 

After dinner they started to see they humor in it. Maybe the few glasses of wine helped.

Then as most jokes later are retold and told again they found it hilarious.

And eventually congratulated me on such a comic pull.

But still no fritures.

 

 

Poisson d'avri

 

I have never fished anyone again.

Nor have I bought those fritures.

Though the old French "Poisson d'Avril" cards, oh yeah I have plenty of them.

 

 

Fishing for my april fool

 

What is it all about this Aprils Fools Day thing anyway?

Have you ever played a prank on the first of April? If so tell me about it in the comment section, and or if you have had a prank pulled on you.

 

 



Comments

7 responses to “April First Joke that Still Makes me Laugh and Yann Not so Much”

  1. No good pranks here, but that one with the fish is so funny after the fact. I think they still owe you some chocolate fish.

  2. Donna Boucher

    Oh! I absolutely love this old funny tradition! And you did it perfectly! How unusual that no one saw their fishes! It is such a funny tale… if it were me…there would definitely be chocolate fishes for all!! And even a banner made with paper fishes 🙂 I love the cards you found, they are well done and historically amusing!!

  3. Ardi Butler

    My favorite trick was one my daughter-in-law played on my granddaughter. She saved the little candy wrappers and wrapped a grape in each one. She tucked a little note in that said “Share these sweets with your friends.” Inside one of the grapes was another note that said “Look in your backpack.” There she’d hidden some real sweets. I thought it was brilliant.

  4. Sharon Crigger-Stokan

    What a cute story and memory to laugh at or just make you smile!

  5. Corey, as I read this sitting in our Airbnb in Chicago, I just threw my head back and guffawed with tears leaking from my eyes. This story had me laughing out loud and Jim just looked at me nonplused. Pfft. I love, love, love this.

  6. Chico Sue

    Good to know you and your family can laugh about the April Fish story. Our family pranked each other faithfully every April 1st and it was always a contest to see who could catch whom first. When my son and daughter-in-law were dating, he came home very late from a date one night. His future wife called early the next morning of April 1st as I noticed on the calendar next to the phone. I thought this would be a great initiation into the family so I told her he was in the hospital with what was probably an STD. Silence on the other end of the line as I gleefully said, “April Fools”. Continued silence led me to try to explain my tasteless attempt at a joke. I am still embarrassed to this day even though they have been married for many years now. (But I laugh about it often with my own daughter and son)

  7. I love this story and it reminds me of one my husband pulled on my dad-his father-in-law. My dad was driving down the main street of our town around 10 pm on a Sunday night. My family always went to my grandparents house for an evening of poker for the men and TV watching and chatting for the women. There was not a car on the street and my dad flicked his cigarette butt out the window of the car and sure enough a policeman pulled him over for littering. My dad could not believe it and was really upset. He had been on the police reserve for years as a young man and would never intentionally do something wrong. This happened a few weeks before April 1st. I think he had a small fine to pay. About a week before April 1st. My husband got his boss at work to call my dad and tell him that he had to appear at the court house and that a letter would be coming to him on April 1st. by messenger. He waited all day and when my husband got off work he went by to see them and pretended that he found this manilla envelope stuck in the door. My dad couldn’t believe it and said he’s been waiting all day for the delivery. Inside the envelope was a turkey target from the Indian Guide turkey shoot our son had participated in. It said, “April Fools you turkey” or something like that. My dad was a little mad, but relieved he didn’t have to go to the court house.

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