On April Fool's Day...Beware of "Kick Me" & "April Fish" Jokes!

Hi Mairiuna!

April 1st being widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness, I was wondering if I would keep my good humor was I to be a victim of a prank?

I’d better, because it is said that you’ll attract bad luck if you get mad!

In Scotland, they are all for it and April Fool’s Day, also known as “April Gowk,” “Gowkie Day” or “Hunt the Gowk”, last 48 hours!

‘The second day of the Scottish April Fool’s custom is devoted exclusively to pranks involving the posterior region of the body.

This is known as “Taily Day” and the origin of the ever-popular and still-hilarious “Kick Me” sign is likely traceable to this observance. “Gowk” is Scottish for “cuckoo” (an emblem of simpletons) and thus, a “gowk” is the butt of any practical joke.’

Fooling around the web I had fun with April Fool’s related stories and selected some to share below:

In Scotland, April Fools Day celebrations last for two days. April Fools Day in Scotland is sometimes called Taily Day or April Gowk.

The traditional prank for the first day is to send people on a fool’s errand. You give someone an urgent note that they are supposed to deliver, but the note informs the receiver that it is an April Gowk joke, and they send the person to yet another person, who sends them somewhere else…etc.

On the second day, the traditional prank is to stick an April Gowk sign on someone’s backside, similar to a “Kick Me” sign.

April Gowk pranks are usually only played in the morning, and if someone tries one after noon, they are considered the fool instead.

April Fools Day in France is traditionally called Poisson d’Avril, which translates to “April Fish.” The term refers to the fish that are recently hatched and therefore naïve and easy to catch. The traditional April Fish prank in France is to tape a fish to someone’s back, and call them a Poisson d’Avril when they discover it. Originally, the fish was a real dead fish, but nowadays it is most often a paper fish. April Fish is also a common prank on April Fools Day in Italy, called Pesce d’Aprile in Italian. April Fish trickery can last all day, and may include other kinds of tricks.

April Fool’s Day in Canada is similar to April Fool’s Day in the United States, and also incorporates the tradition of Poisson d’Avril from French April Fools Day celebrations. On Canadian tradition comes from investigator James Randi, who annually announces a tongue-in-cheek award called the Pigasus Award on April Fools Day. These “awards” seek to expose paranormal or psychic frauds or to ridicule institutions that promote paranormal claims. Past Pigasus awards have been given to the Kansas school board, John Edwards and Nostradamus. (…).

Source: April Fools Day Traditions Around the World