Pesce d'Aprile

For Italians, the first of April marks the celebration of "Pesce d'Aprile" (literally April’s Fish), and antics are very similar to those you know for April Fools' Day. Practical jokes and hoaxes are common across the country on 1st April, but why is there a fish in the name of the Italian day? The traditional kids’ (and very often adults’ too!) prank for Pesce d'Aprile involves the taping of a cutout of a small fish (pesciolino) to someone's back. Then the exchange would go: L'hai visto? (Have you seen him/it?) Chi? (Who?) Il pesce d'Aprile! (The April’s fish/fool!) Obviously the person with the ‘pesciolino’ taped to his back is the fool. Poverino! Here’s a genuine Italian 'pesciolino' of your very own to print out, cut out and enjoy hours (well, minutes) of innocent fun.

The origins of April Fools' Day across the world are disputed, but many believe it dates back to when the Georgian calendar was adopted and many resisted the change; the term may have been used to refer to someone who still stood by the old Julian calendar. Another theory is that those who planted crops before May 1, the traditional first day of summer, was an April fool. Whatever its origins, the day is still widely celebrated across the world in surprisingly similar ways.

So, do you have any Pesce d'Aprile jokes planned? Don't worry—I won't let the fish out of the bag!

French 1st April postcards from the beginning of XX century