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’, which is like saying, "April Fool". The tagged person is meant to give the trickster fritures, small chocolate fish.
Since Easter is usually around April 1st, the chocolate fish "fritures" are 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.
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 happen to be around the first of April he told me that April's Fool was all about a fish tapped or pinned to someone's back...
A few days later it was April first. I had made two small red fish. French Husband and my Belle Mere (Mother in Law) were going to a meeting. Before they left I tapped one fish on French Husband's back and another on my Belle Mere's back.
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.
Neither of them were very amused.
In fact they looked at me like I was some sort of alien fish. I could feel myself sinking, going down stream. 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 a very 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.
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.
I have never fished anyone again.
Nor have I bought those fritures.
Though the old French "Poisson d'Avril" cards, that is another addiction.
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.
I have tears of laughter rolling down my face...what a lovely story. In NZ a large chocolate fish with pink marshmallow inside is sometimes given to someone as a treat or prize, the much smaller chocolate marshmallow fish we call spratts; they are often a complimentary treat served with your hot chocolate at cafés.
Posted by: LeighNZ | 01 April 2014 at 11:29 PM
Oh how I laughed aloud! That's a great story!
Posted by: Sugar | 02 April 2014 at 12:01 AM
This story sounds "fishy" to me. :)
In my French class today we were discussing the origin of the custom and Madame had no ideas why.
Posted by: Laura Ingalls Gunn | 02 April 2014 at 12:17 AM
This is too funny, you definitely deserve some chocolate.
My youngest called from college this morning, before breakfast mind you, and told me a long story about how his laptop had been stolen from the library last night. He's notorious for "misplacing" things so I totally fell for it.
Posted by: Kathleen (Oregon) | 02 April 2014 at 12:57 AM
For several years I got away with waking my kids up on April 1 saying our cat (a boy) had given birth to 5 kittens. They did not think this was so funny. I thought it was funny that they would forget the trick from year to year.
Posted by: Joan | 02 April 2014 at 12:59 AM
Oh I am smiling! They do owe you some chocolate fish though, especially with what has become a family story.
I have not been good at April Fools, but a niece today played a joke on her children. She put her childrens cereal in bowls, added water, and frozen over night, then put a little milk on top before she served them. They were at first not too thrilled.
Posted by: Marilyn | 02 April 2014 at 01:30 AM
This is hysterical! Although I shouldn't laugh, as you were mortified when it happened. I love the chocolate fish idea. Well, who wouldn't? It's chocolate. I think I may steal this, as it's much more fun than some of the April Fool's jokes I have fallen for. My mother used to "short sheet" our beds and put waxed paper in our sandwiches, between the meat and the cheese. That was actually funny, but we never gave her a chocolate fish.
Posted by: Judith Delgado | 02 April 2014 at 02:01 AM
Funniest post ever! I loved
It and thank you for sharing it.
Posted by: Momof5 | 02 April 2014 at 02:44 AM
We played a joke on a colleague at work. They dragged me in on it and practically all the engineers were in on it. They had me fake a Jury Notice by phone to one of the grumpiest men. I basically called and said he missed Jury Duty that morning and I needed him to respond. He was in a carpool and had to go through hoops to find a ride then make work arrangements. After a lot of fuss, and just as he was ready to leave work, I called again asking if he was going to make it, then I said "April Fool" and EVERYONE laughed and laughed and laughed - including him but not until he took a couple of swipes at the instigator.
Posted by: Ann | 02 April 2014 at 04:32 AM
Funny story Corey! I tinted my husbands milk for his coffee blue this morning and he didn't notice until the second cup. Then he said "What in the holy hell!?!"
Posted by: Nancy in AZ | 02 April 2014 at 04:46 AM
Good for you, Corey! They might as well have gotten the picture straight away of what having you there was going to consist of; irreverence, wit, delight, even in the midst of silly "seriousness".
Posted by: Shelley Noble | 02 April 2014 at 07:12 AM
Funny story, at least now!
Posted by: 24/7 in France | 02 April 2014 at 07:53 AM
Four years when my son was in high school every April Fools' Day he would put a rubber band around the handle of the little spray thingy on the sink so that when I would come down to make coffee in the morning it would spray me right in the face. I fell for it every year. Then he moved out. I kinda miss it.
Posted by: Candy | 02 April 2014 at 02:20 PM
I love that story!
And it is so nice to understand those postcards! I have a couple of them and knew they were an April fools depiction but never understood the fish! I love how quirky they are!
Happy April! karen....
Posted by: karen | 02 April 2014 at 03:02 PM
When we lived in Geneva, instead of giving the children fritures, I made little fish cookies (from a vintage cookie cutter I bought in German Christmas market). They were chocolate cookies of course (dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate) decorates with dashes of chocolate (white chocolate with orange, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate). I sent them to school, and they were always a huge hit! My daughter asked me to please make them again this year, but there was no time :-(
Posted by: monika | 02 April 2014 at 03:31 PM
Love the post cards. I already had one French April Fool's fish image and am so pleased to get the back story. I grew up on a farm and, with my mother's encouragement, we always put flatware in my father's boots and tied his overall legs with baling twine on April 1. I think she and her siblings had done this to her father annually. My father always got a kick out of it, I think, and never retaliated.
Posted by: Teddee Grace | 02 April 2014 at 05:43 PM
The cards are amazing. The story is legendary. Excellent! Thanks for sharing it :)
Posted by: Gail | 03 April 2014 at 03:57 AM