Here in France, April 1st is known as poisson d'avril or April fish. People will try to attach paper fish to one another's back without being noticed. It's more for children, but adults get in on it too.
It allegedly came about in the mid-sixteenth century. Until that time, the new year started on April 1st, but King Charles IX wanted it to start in January and changed the French Calendar. Some people were not happy with this decision and still celebrated April 1st as the new year. The people who embraced the new calendar would mock them and play tricks on them.
This is where fish became involved. In the mid-sixteenth century, lent ended on April 1st and presents of fish were often given to celebrate the new year, since during lent you cannot eat meat (let's save the debate of why the majority of people think muscle from fish isn't considered meat but muscle from mammals is). Once the new year changed, those who still celebrated on April 1st began getting fake fish as "presents" from those who now celebrated on January 1st.
I suppose over the years, people stopped taking presents on April 1st assuming it would be a prank, and this is when stealthily attaching a cloth or paper fish to a person's back instead started taking over. It has obviously stopped being used to point out those who have not changed with the times and has become more of just a trick to play among friends and coworkers.
It allegedly came about in the mid-sixteenth century. Until that time, the new year started on April 1st, but King Charles IX wanted it to start in January and changed the French Calendar. Some people were not happy with this decision and still celebrated April 1st as the new year. The people who embraced the new calendar would mock them and play tricks on them.
This is where fish became involved. In the mid-sixteenth century, lent ended on April 1st and presents of fish were often given to celebrate the new year, since during lent you cannot eat meat (let's save the debate of why the majority of people think muscle from fish isn't considered meat but muscle from mammals is). Once the new year changed, those who still celebrated on April 1st began getting fake fish as "presents" from those who now celebrated on January 1st.
I suppose over the years, people stopped taking presents on April 1st assuming it would be a prank, and this is when stealthily attaching a cloth or paper fish to a person's back instead started taking over. It has obviously stopped being used to point out those who have not changed with the times and has become more of just a trick to play among friends and coworkers.