FAQs

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in France?

Answer

Le Poisson d’Avril translates to April Fish! In France, the first of April is affectionately known as Le Poisson d’Avril, which literally translates to April Fish. When they’re not indulging in chocolaterie buissière—chocolate figurines, usually shaped like the nominal fish—the French tape paper fish to each other’s backs and shout “Poisson d’Avril” at those whom they’ve successfully duped.

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Finland?

Answer

After you manage to fool someone on April Fools’ Day, the Finnish custom is to shout “Aprillia, syö silliä, juo kuravettä päälle,” which translates to “April trick, eat herring, drink muddy water afterwards!” If you ask a Finnish person, they’ll admit it doesn’t make sense to them either.

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Iran?

Answer

The 13th day of the Persian New Year always overlaps with either the 1st or 2nd of April, and is celebrated as Sidzah-Bedar, or Nature Day, in Iran. It’s also the last day of the New Year’s festivities and is typically spent outside picnicking with friends and throwing leafy greens into a body of water to ward off bad luck. Even though it may or may not be directly related to the Western April Fools’ Day, it’s considered a prank day in its own right as it’s traditional to tell little white lies called “thirteenth lies.”

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Italy?

Answer

The way Italians celebrate April Fools’ is almost identical to how the French celebrate it. Called Pesce d’Aprile (again, April Fish), its name is the same and so is its tradition of taping paper fish to the backs of unsuspecting victims. Italian newspapers, companies, and even the government have long enjoyed partaking in the festivities, and one of the more famous April Fools’ pranks was conducted in 1956 by Milan’s newspaper La Notte, when it falsely reported that city officials had made it illegal to ride horses unless they were outfitted with brake lights.

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in the Netherlands?

Answer

As in Finland, there aren’t many Dutch April Fools’ traditions, save for shouting, “1 april, kikker in je bil, die er nooit meer uit wil,” at your victim. That translates to “1st of April, frog in your butt, that never wants to come out again.”

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Greece?

Answer

If you manage to trick someone in Greece, it’s thought that their misfortune will become your good luck, so there’s a real incentive to do some pranking. And if it rains, grab a bucket, because the water is said to have healing powers on April Fools’ Day. Similar to Italy, the Greek government also enjoys doling out the occasional prank, and in 1982 the state-controlled national radio network jokingly broadcasted that pollution in Athens had reached emergency levels. The prank took a not-so-funny turn when residents began to flee the city because they’d taken the announcement seriously; the director of the network was later forced to resign—surprising, considering the good luck you’d think he’d have after fooling so many people.

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Scotland?

Answer

Both the 1st and the 2nd of April are celebrated in Scotland, known as Hunt the Gowk Day and Taily Day, respectively. In olden times, Scots celebrated Hunt the Gowk Day by sending a “gowk,” or a fool, to deliver a sealed message, the contents of which would read, “Dinna laugh an dinna smile, hunt the gowk another mile.” The recipient would then send the gowk on another errand with the same message, and so on until the gowk (hopefully) caught onto the joke. While that ruthless tradition didn’t last, many people still paste “kick me” signs to their victims, a pastime that originated on Taily Day.

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in England?

Answer

You’re only supposed to tell jokes and make pranks until noon on April Fools’ Day in England. It’s not entirely clear how the rule came to be, but if you do tell jokes after noon, be warned: You will be considered a fool. And if you’ve been successfully fooled before noon, you’ll be considered a “noodle.”

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Russia?

Answer

Before April Fools’ Day officially arrived in Russia, Slavic people would celebrate the warm weather around the same time by scaring away winter with costumes and disguises. Now, the holiday is hugely popular and jokes are taken very seriously. Many concerts and comedy shows are scheduled for the holiday to guarantee everyone gets in on the laughs.

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Armenia?

Answer

n Armenian culture, an April Fool prank is revealed by saying ապրիլ մեկ! which means April 1.

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Canada?

Answer

In Quebec, it's traditional to have Maple Sugar Pie or "tarte au sucre".[

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Germany?

Answer

In Germany, an April Fool prank is sometimes later revealed by shouting "April, April!" at the recipient, who becomes the "April fool".

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Ireland?

Answer

n Ireland, it was traditional to entrust the victim with an "important letter" to be given to a named person. That person would read the letter, then ask the victim to take it to someone else, and so on. The letter when opened contained the words "send the fool further"

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Israel?

Answer

Israel has adopted the custom of pranking on April Fools' Day

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Lebanon?

Answer

In Lebanon, an April Fool prank is revealed by saying كذبة أول نيسان (which translates to "First of April Lie") to the recipient.

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Poland?

Answer

n Poland, prima April ("First April" in Latin) as a day of pranks is a centuries-long tradition. It is a day when many pranks are played: sometimes very sophisticated hoaxes are prepared by people, media (which often cooperate to make the "information" more credible), and even public institutions. Serious activities are usually avoided; every word said on 1 April could be untrue. The conviction for this is so strong that the Polish anti-Turkish alliance with Leopold I, signed on 1 April 1683, was backdated to 31 March.[23] However, for some in Poland prima April ends at noon of 1 April and prima April jokes after that hour are considered inappropriate and not classy.

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Turkey?

Answer

Turkey also has a custom of April Fools' pranks.[25] April Fools's Day is called "Nisan Balığı" (April Fish) in Turkish. Pranks and jokes are usually verbal and are revealed by shouting "Bir Nisan! / Nisan Bir!" (April 1st!).

Question

How is April Fool’s Day celebrated in Ukraine?

Answer

pril Fools' Day is widely celebrated in Odesa and has the special local name Humorina (in Ukrainian Гуморина, Humorina). This holiday arose in 1973.[26] An April Fool prank is revealed by saying "Первое Апреля, никому не верю" ("Pervoye Aprelya, nikomu ne veryu", translating as "First of April, I trust nobody") to the recipient. The festival includes a large parade in the city centre, free concerts, street fairs and performances. Festival participants dress up in a variety of costumes and walk around the city fooling around and pranking passersby. One of the traditions on April Fools' Day is to dress up the main city monument in funny clothes. Humorina even has its own logo—a cheerful sailor in a lifebelt—whose author was the artist Arkady Tsykun.[27] During the festival, special souvenirs bearing the logo are printed and sold. Since 2010, April Fools' Day celebrations include an International Clown Festival, and both celebrated as one. In 2019, the festival was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Odesa Film Studio and all events were held with an emphasis on cinema.

Question

What is considered the #1 greatest April Fool’s Day prank?

Answer

In 1957, the BBC pulled off what still ranks as one of the most famous April Fool’s Day gags of all time. Eight million people tuned in to watch Panorama’s three-minute feature on the ‘Swiss spaghetti harvest’. After an unseasonably warm winter brought an end to their dreadful spaghetti weevil pest control issue, the region of Ticino near the Italian border was said to have yielded an ‘exceptionally heavy spaghetti crop’. The footage showed people picking strands of spaghetti off trees and bushes before tucking into their home-grown feast. The prank occurred long before pasta became a staple in the average British diet, making the audience ripe for the picking. When viewers phoned in to find out how they could purchase their own spaghetti trees, the BBC told them to ‘place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best’.

Question

What is considered the #2 greatest April Fool’s Day prank?

Answer

It was in 1698 that people were first tricked into attending the ‘washing of the lions’ at the Tower of London. That makes it one of the oldest-known pranks in the historical record, and it would be repeated multiple times during the 18th and 19th centuries. One iteration occurred in 1848 when a journalist distributed cards inviting the public to the washing of the lions. As an onlooker wrote: ‘I was not prepared for the extraordinary credulity of the British Public. They flocked up in shoals to see the lions washed. The warders were almost at their wits’ end. They had the bits of pasteboard flourished in their faces, with angry gestures and angrier imprecations, by the indignant crowd of sight-seers and seekers.’

Question

How did April Fool’s Day start?

Answer

Some historians believe that April Fools’ Day started in 1582. During this year, France switched to a different calendar. This meant that the start of their year used to be around 1st April, however it changed to 1st January, like it is today. Some people accidentally celebrated new year in April and were called ‘April fools’!

Question

Is this a joke?

Answer

Maybe… maybe not. Elaborate hoax… maybe… You’ll just have to tune in if you want to find out. Although knowing us as a couple what could be more perfect of a wedding day than April Fool’s Day. Either way… be on the lookout for fish!