At the beginning of the 21st Century monsters still roam the remote, and sometimes not so remote, corners of our planet. It is our job to search for them. The Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] is - we believe - the largest professional, scientific and full-time organisation in the world dedicated to cryptozoology - the study of unknown animals. Since 1992 the CFZ has carried out an unparalleled programme of research and investigation all over the world. Since 2009 we have been running the increasingly popular CFZ Blog Network, and although there has been an American branch of the CFZ for over ten years now, it is only now that it has a dedicated blog.

Friday, 1 April 2022

POISSON D'AVRIL

The French, instead of referring to April Fool's Day, call it Poisson d'Avril (April Fish).  This may be because there is a custom to pretend to pat a friend on the back while you are surreptitiously sticking on a paper fish.  Did the custom come from the name of the day or did the day name come from the custom?


One tradition is that the fishing season ended on March 31st.  A man was sent to buy fish on April 1st, only to be laughed at.  He was called Poisson d'Avril in mockery and the name came to be applied to the day.



 

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