March 29, 2018 Update: A reader in France (thank you Delphine!) provided some additional insight on the fishy April Fools situation. Scroll down to More Info for the update.
My husband is an avid fisherman so when I came across these strange postcards I snapped them up. I must admit, though, I had no idea why people would get all dressed up in their fancy frocks and suits to have their picture taken with dead fish.
It wasn’t until later that I noticed there is an April 1st connection; both cards have “1er Avril” stamped in the top left corner. The message on both cards is also in French so I assumed these cards must have some significance in France. And the plot thickens…
A little online research suggests there is likely a connection to a decision made by France’s King Charles IX, back in 1582, to switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. This moved the first day of the calendar year from April 1 to January 1. As the story goes, some people resisted or were slow to catch on, and they continued to celebrate the start of the new year on April 1. Apparently, these folks became the butt of jokes and hoaxes or “April fools”.
There are numerous theories on how fish come into play. The explanation I like suggests a gullible person (aka an April fool) is similar to the young, easily-caught fish that were abundant at that time of year in France. This could also explain an old tradition of secretly pasting a small paper fish to someone’s back on April 1st. While I honestly can’t see how this would lead to postcards showing people posing with fish that does seem to be what happened.
Regardless of the rationale behind this seemingly strange custom, I do think these postcards are funny and worth sharing. I keep them with my other vintage postcards in a small basket on the coffee table. The basket is an open invitation for guests to see what’s inside. I think of it as a fresh take on the traditional coffee table book.
More Info
You can see a few more of my vintage postcards on the FanningSparks Contact page.
March 29, 2018 Update: A French reader was kind enough to share that the old tradition of secretly pasting a small paper fish to someone’s back on April 1st is still active in France. She said “poisson d’avril” (April’s fish) is a big tradition for children. On March 31st, French children secretly make paper fish in preparation for the big day. On April 1st, children stick these paper fish on the backs of as many people as possible. They also play a little trick or joke on that person. For instance, if a child were to stick a paper fish on her mother’s back (a favorite target), she might also put a plastic spider in Mummy’s coffee mug. Then when the truth is discovered, everyone yells “poison d’avril”. While this is primarily a children’s activity, adults also get into the fun of playing tricks. Many thanks to Delphine for adding some color to this post.
Playing harmless jokes on others and yelling “April Fools” is pretty consistent with my own April Fool’s Day experiences. What about you? What are your April Fool’s Day traditions? Please share in the comments below.
Today’s Takeaways
Here are a few suggestions that might spark an idea…
1. Vintage postcards can be fun to collect. They’re easy to find in vintage and antique shops. They’re inexpensive and don’t take up much space.
2. A small, unique collection of items can add personality and interest to your coffee table.
3. Little things can make a difference.
