How does france’s april fools’ day differ from that in uk or us?

IT IS IN SCHOOLS WHERE WE SEE A REAL FRENCH PECULIARITY April Fools’ Day is called _Poisson d’avril_ in France and in many ways is similar to what you would see in the US or UK. Family

members often try to prank each other around the breakfast table, in the hope that someone may have forgotten the date. It can also happen at work. French media, too, would traditionally try

to fool readers and viewers with made-up stories. For example, _Le Parisien_’s edition of 1st April 1986 told readers that the Eiffel Tower had been sold to Walt Disney Productions.  It was

to be dismantled and re-erected on the site of the future Disneyland Paris at Marne-la-Vallée. The move was to make way for a new sports stadium. You can read about other classic French

April 1 stories over the years HERE. The number of April Fools’ stories in recent years has decreased in part due to concerns over the spread of fake news on social media. However, some

companies and organisations have made a tradition of April 1 pranks. The Paris metro, RATP, for instance does one every year - in 2025 they have replaced their jingle with improvised

interpretations on flute and guitars... > Tellement habitués aux annonces sonores du métro que vous n'y > prêtez même plus attention au quotidien ? 🎧🔊 >  > Aujourd'hui,

 pour une fois, tendez l'oreille dans les stations du > réseau #RATP... Qu'entendez-vous donc ? 👀👂 > — Métro de Paris Insolite 🚇 (@Metro_Insolite) April 1, 2025 Similarly,

Burger King is purportedly serving caviar in its nuggets today in France. WHAT ARE THE FRENCH TRADITIONS ON APRIL 1? French primary school pupils have had a longstanding tradition of trying

to stick a cut-out paper fish on someone else’s back without them seeing on April 1. It is usually a prank played between schoolmates, although the teacher or parent is the ultimate target.

The most intelligent will target someone they know will go up and speak in front of the class. That way, the fish gets maximum exposure and mirth. Likewise, targeting someone sitting in the

front row of the class means the rest of the pupils get to see the prank while leaving the teacher unaware. Tactics vary in terms of how the paper fish is stuck on someone’s back. 

Obviously, you can pretend to pat someone on the back and pass it on then. A more risky way would be to put a hook on the fish and attach it to a coat. THE ORIGIN OF FRANCE'S APRIL

FOOL'S DAY  The origins of this wacky custom date back to when France’s ruler King Charles IX decided that the country’s annual calendar, hitherto varied according to region (Lyon’s

year began at Christmas, for example), should be unified and begin each year on January 1. And thus the Edict of Roussillon, implemented on January 1, 1567, decreed that “The year begins on

the 1st day of January.” In regions where the year formerly began on March 25, in line with the feast of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrations often continued until early

April. Despite the change of calendar year, some people continued to offer gifts at the ‘old’ New Year. But as the tradition weakened, the gifts became less and less extravagant, more jokey

and morphed into little practical jokes. BUT WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FISH? During the pre-Easter austerity period of Carême (Lent), Christians could still eat fish and so real

_poissons_ were often offered as gifts – so it seems that pranking a friend with a ‘fake fish’ was the logical alternative once April 1 began to lose its significance.