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Welcome to News From Italy, my blog about our Italian Adventure. Although this blog has now ceased publication I will be continuing to blog and I am sincerely hoping that my many followers here will move with me to Travel Tales blog to follow my next adventures wherever they may take me. The links to my other blogs are:-


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Thursday, April 1, 2010

Pesce d'Aprile! April Fool's Day In Italy

 

pesceImage found on the Internet.

 

In Italy, as in much of the world, April 1st is traditionally a day of practical jokes, pranks, and silliness. The origin of this custom is unsure, but one thing is certain, much fun will take place and unlike in the UK, lasts all day..

The traditional pesce d'Aprile (April Fool's trick) in Italy consists of children attaching a paper fish to the rear shoulders of someone unsuspecting. Then everyone jokingly asks: L'hai visto?—Chi?—Il pesce d'Aprile! (or Have you seen?—Who?—the April Fool!) and makes silly remarks about the victim.

There is lots of interesting information to be found on Wikipedia about the days origins, although I was unable to find anything specific to Italy.

Did any of you get caught out in any way today?

A ticket to "Washing the Lions" in London from 1857. This traditional April Fools prank was first recorded in 1698.

 

It certainly seems that pranks on this date have been carried out for many years!

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