APRIL FOOL. Making jokes on April 1st is common for many French people. But do you know the origin of this tradition? We'll explain it to you!
[Mis à day April 1, 2024 à 11:11] Be careful, you may have a hooked fish. in the back! April Fool's Day is celebrated this Monday April 1st, and coincidentally, it falls at the same time as Easter Monday this year 2024. Pranks, little jokes and hoaxes, this tradition dates back to the 16th century century according to the most widespread history.
In this file, we explain in detail the origin of this joke day and we give you a selection of the best jokes and historical hoaxes, enough to give you inspiration for the 2024 April Fool's Day. And for children, find 10 April Fools models to choose from. print, cut out and color.
In France, New Year's Eve was not celebrated until the 16th century. on January 1st, but for a whole week, until April 1st, to celebrate spring. People had gotten into the habit of giving each other gifts. It was King Charles IX who put an end to it by setting January 1st. À At the time, April 1st also corresponded to April 1st. the end of the Lenten period, where We ate a lot of fish. When the king changed the date, not everyone got used to it and some continued to do so. exchange gifts in April. According to legend, they were then mocked by others and the April 1st jokes were born like that!
In summary – In 1564, King Charles IX decided that the year would no longer begin on April 1st but on January 1st. This change has also shifted the the exchanges of gifts and trennes which marked the transition to the new year. To sow doubt about the real date of the New Year, some have persisted &agrav; give gifts in April. Over time, April's little gifts turned into gifts for laughs, jokes, and then schemes to trap others.
But the origin of the fish associated with to April 1 would be disputed and several versions exist. The ban on fishing at the start of the month April in France could be the origin of the famous “hooked fish” in the back". Indeed, during the fish reproduction period, fishermen were "offered" a dead herring hanging on in the back, which was replaced by subsequently by a paper fish. The most religious see in April Fool's Day a symbol of Lent, the Christian period. hold where ù it is only allowed to eat fish, while others assure that fish comes from the zodiac sign of fish, the last of winter, used in food and drink. as an illustration in cards sent on April 1st to symbolize the party at the beginning of the 20th century…
And in other countries ? The tradition of the April 1st joke, initially Western, little changed. little diffused. It is expressed in different ways depending on the country. In English, April Fool's Day is April's Fool Day. Pranks are only done in the morning in England and if you're pranked, you're “a noodle.” In Scotland, be twice as vigilant as in France because pranksters can also be active on April 2. In Mexico, the only tour consists of: steal a friend's property. In exchange, the victim will receive candy and a little note telling them that they have been fooled. There is even an Indian version of April Fool's Day: it takes place on March 31 and is called the Huli Festival. ;quot;.
It's difficult to make an anthology of the best April 1st jokes without a little self-promotion. Every year since its creation, Linternaute.com has participated in the tradition of April 1st with une home page entirely filled with April Fools . Rest assured: it will be easy to do so. to understand in the second the joke in this totally offbeat fake news. And it's difficult to go very far in deception: there is no article behind these titles to the second, or even third, degree. As soon as you click on a topic, April Fool's Day will be revealed. Visit our home page April 1st!
Overview of the Linternaute home page on April 1st, full of false information! © Linternaute.com
The big brands have not missed out on this. the opportunity to stand out on April 1st, like Burger King, which took advantage of it. to tackle its competitor McDonald's. After posting on March 31, a message on X in which it was written: “Tomorrow, discover our vegetable fries& ;quot;, the fast-food chain responded to the request. his own tweet writing on April 1: "April Fools. Imagine someone really does çthat LOL." A charge à Half a word towards McDonald's, which had been offering vegetable fries since the beginning of March for a limited time. On the side of Brittany, as reported Actu Morbihan, the town hall of Vannes had posté a doctored photo, making it appear that a man on BMX had achieved an incredible jump from the right bank à the left bank of the port of Vannes.
Municipalities were particularly inspired on April 1 of last year. Thus, the municipalityé d'Allauch (Bouches-du-Rhône) had announced on Facebook a "show case" exceptional performance of the planetary star Beyonc at the Théâtre de Nature de la ville, on June 10, 2023, accompanying her announcement with a photo montage. Other jokes may have been taken the wrong way by some because they convey clichés. Lille Newsthus reportedé the (false) opening of a restaurant & Lille (North) which only serves à coffee base and maroilles, with for example a maroilles fondue in a coffee broth. In the show "Les Grandes Gueules du sport" on RMC, Jean-Pierre Foucault attemptedé to pass himself off as a listener from Marseille who couldn't stand someone imitating his accent, but his April Fool's Day didn't last long.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of the most famous April 1st hoaxes, in France and around the world:
- 1992: American national public radio announces that Richard Nixon is running for office. the presidential election. His campaign slogan: 'I didn't do anything wrong, I wouldn't do it again.'.
- 1999: BBC 4 radio says à its listeners that the English national anthem "God save the Queen" will soon be replaced by a European song in German. Thousands of listeners call the antenna, scandalized.
- 2000: the Portuguese sports daily "A bola" publishes an article according to which UEFA has decided to withdraw the organization from the Euro 2004 à his country. A trauma for some readers…
- 2002: the Canadian website "Bourque Newswatch" announces the departure of the Minister of Finance, Paul Martin. Picked up by the British financial bulletin, "The Gartman Letter", the news would have caused the Canadian dollar to lose 32 cents.
- 2009 : the SNCF which uses the voice of Homer Simpson for its station announcements
Your toddlers are à looking for April Fools & draw or &agrav; coloring ? You yourself remained a big child who loves fish à hang on the backs of colleagues? Hugo L'Escargot offers you a selection of fish original & ;agrave; print, cut out, color to properly celebrate this day of farce that remains April 1st.
A few years ago, we collected testimonies from our readers about April 1st. Whether they found themselves in the role of trappers or trapped, they told us how nbsp;their fun experiences of this day. Like Jancap, who imaginedé the concept of the collective "fishy" photocopier: "Draw a pretty fish with a thick marker on an A4 sheet, right in the center, at ; 4 à 5 cm from the edges. Take a ream of white paper and put it in the container of the photocopier. Photocopy the fish drawing on a minimum of fifty pages. Remove the ream of blank paper and insert a few leaves of the photocopied fish into around fifteen places on it. Be careful, put the fish in the right direction so that it comes out of the right side. photocopy. Insert it into the paper container…"If you opt for an SMS instead (read : how to send an anonymous text message), try to find an idea that's funny but not too similar to what you're talking about. spam. Your interlocutor should not be overly worried. Why not send him a text message like: "You haveéeé selected to participate à Koh Lanta with your friend Michel. If you are the Michel in question, there is no doubt that your friend will contact you within a minute to find out why you registered him for your account. this reality TV game! Free &agrav; you to continue à to take him for a ride or not…