April Fool's Day - Pesce d'Aprile
April 1 annually, everywhere

Anyone who claims to be able to pinpoint the exact origin of April 1st would certainly be the fool, because it is a holiday with a diverse background, celebrated all over the world. The expectation of spring lends itself to light-heartedness and celebration. But even the weather can play tricks at that time of year, and as T.S. Eliot wrote, "April is the cruelest month."

Hoaxes and Tricks
April fool's day is known in Italy as Pesce d'Aprile, which translates literally to April Fish Day. Fish take the stage as the center theme of April 1st.

A pesciolino, or fish cut out of paper, is commonly taped to an unsuspecting person's back. His or her friends laugh silently and tiptoe around them. They ask each other, in mock seriousness, "l'hai visto?" - "have you seen him?" The unsuspecting person asks, "Chi?" or "who?" Everyone bursts into laughter and replies "Il pesce d'Aprile" - "The April fish."

Adult pranks have been known to be grander in scale, such as false communiqués from the ministry of the interior about Martians attacking, or promises of money being given away for free. The media reports the day after about the best tricks or Miglior Pesce d'Aprile. Students play pranks on each other by setting alarm clocks to the wrong time, or conveying messages that classes have been cancelled. Orders are called in to restaurants like a single cup of chamomile tea or yogurt to be delivered to an address that later turn out to be false.

Sayings and slogans are written on cards and walls like, "chi legge questo é scemo" or "whoever reads this is a fool."

Something Fishy
Italy is surrounded by water and islands, and fish and seafood play a major role in the cuisine. Much time is spent fishing, boating and sailing. Fish folk lore abounds, as do piscine idioms. The following are a few sayings that relay the importance of fish in Italian culture.

The April fish is now a symbol of a fool. It used to be connected with wisdom, however, and thought of as "brain food." Monks used to consume a diet with a large presence of fish, holding the belief that the fish would enrich their minds and allow them to be closer to God.

Fish has long been a Christian symbol. Christ multiplied loaves and fishes for his disciples. Fish grafitti and fish formed out of bent nails were signs of fellow Christians in town. The Greek letters that form the word fish (icthus) form an acronym for Jesus Christ Son of God, Savior. The disciples were largely fishermen.

Chocolate fish began appearing in shop windows along side chocolate Easter eggs. Tempting displays with glittery colored wrappings spread anticipation for the next holiday. Today Pesce d'Aprile is celebrated with presents of tiny chocolate fish.

The copious amounts of chocolate led one to wonder, how did the shop owners possibly expect to sell all of that chocolate? But the merchants had made provisions for just such a problem. The practice arose of melting down chocolate after the spring holidays into more traditional shapes. Egg-chocolate or cioccolato d'uova, became known as not the best quality chocolate.

The Original Cruel Joke
Myth has it that Roman Proserpina (Persephone in Greek) was playing in beautiful flower fields when Pluto spotted her and fell in love with her. He kidnapped her and took her to the lower world as his bride. Her mother Ceres chased her in vain. Her chase was known as the fool's errand, for it was fruitless. Her mother was known as the goddess of grain, harvest and abundance. Proserpina's capture signified a bad omen for the bounty of the harvest.

In the Olympian version, Persephone was the wife of Hades and queen of the underworld. She spent half a year on Olympus and half a year in Hades, and her migration was the personification of seasonal changes. In Olympus she was beneficent but it Hades she was stern and terrible. There is a dichotomy between the seasons that is given differing values.

The Pre-Hellenic version is slightly more woman-positive. Ancient Persephone goes to Hades willingly, to direct to dead and to initiate wisdom in the underworld. The dark world is other side of light and just as important. When Persephone goes to Hades, her mother Demeter mourns and it is winter. But the separation is necessary, and they both know that the reunion will come again.