In France, the first of April (April Fool's Day) is called the "April Fish." Bakeries sell fish-shaped brioche and chocolate shops sell fish-shaped chocolate. People play tricks on each other, just like in the United States. The tradition in France comes from the Middle Ages, when Europe was switching over from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. Before, the first of the year began in April (or the beginning of spring at least); but with the Gregorian calendar, the year started on January 1; those who were left out of the loop were called "poissons," the fish being considered the stupidest animal conceivable by medieval peasants.
I thought the perfect Poission d'avril joke would be to stay home from school, since none of the students would show up anyway, so no one would miss me. Unfortunately, since it's Easter, everyone's on vacation anyway, so it's a moot point. I have no one to play my trick on!
