April 1 is International Humor —or Joke— Day, or old-school April Fools, in many countries worldwide. Italy makes no exception: the first day of April Italians celebrate, indeed, pesce d’aprile. Celebrating April Fools equals, of course, devising and implementing practical, elaborated jokes and hoaxes. But they can be as simple as sticking a paper cut-out fish (the pesce, from the Italian day name) to a friend or parent’s back—as many kids have been doing since the dawn of time.
Like many popular traditions, it is hard to trace the history and, above all, the birth of this day, particularly its name. Why the fish? What’s almost sure —among the many theories about the mysterious fish—is that il pesce d’aprile originated in France in the 16th century. The idea was, and still is, to make fun of someone, like assigning them an impossible task, or sending them to the other side of the city to deliver a letter containing… a paper cut-out fish. The fish can be, therefore, interpreted as the person who easily falls for a trick (as the actual fish, apparently easy to get caught). But what do Italians do on April Fools?
Jokes, puns, and idiomatic expressions
Here’s some vocabulary to get you started, should you find yourself in Italy on April 1st: “joke” or “prank” is a scherzo, and “a hoax is more specifically una burla (the two can be used pretty much interchangeably on this day). “To fall for” translates cascarci, as in ci sei cascato/cascata! (you fell for it!).
As for the pranks themselves, except for the timeless fish-sticked-to-the-back, there are no specific traditions, puns, or jokes to the Italian April Fools. It does have the same facets as most Western countries, so just relax, have fun, and don’t get offended (non offenderti!) if someone tricks you!
Humor across cultures
If April Fools is pretty “global” in its meaning and intents, humour can be, on the other hand, very culture-specific and should be “handled with care”. What’s funny in Italy or for an Italian might not be in your country or for the culture(s) you feel close to. While the effort to understand what’s different from you might be worth the effort and be a powerful “mirror” to reflect on yourself, in some circumstances, you will feel that you just don’t get it. And it’s OK, both from a cultural and from a merely linguistic point of view. When learning a language —and with it, exploring a culture—jokes, puns, and wordplays are among the most difficult things to understand, not to mention to use in context. So, give yourself some time, if in doubt, sorridi (smile), and if you feel like it: fatti una risata! (laugh about it)!
By Claudia Quesito
Also read:
Teaching Humor in the Language Classroom
April Fool’s Language Learning: 4 Fun and Creative Ways to Tell Jokes and Play Educational Pranks
