Poisson d'Avril ! Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. (Chinese Proverb)
I
n 1957 the BBC news show Panorama showed footage of Swiss peasants 'harvesting' a bumper crop of spaghetti by literally picking the strands of pasta off the spaghetti trees. Despite the fact that this item was broadcast on the first day of April many viewers were completely taken in by this prank and, having just watched the item again, it is easy to see why. The spoof is so realistically filmed and the voice over is so 'frightfully British' that it would have been very easy to believe, after all this was the BBC. Many viewers even called the Beeb wanting to know how to grow their own spaghetti trees. My favourite however came nearly twenty years later. On BBC Radio 2, the highly respected astronomer Patrick Moore announced to the listening world that at 9:47 (on the first of April), as a result of certain unusual planetary alignments, Earth's gravitational pull would be noticeably reduced. Listeners were told that if they jumped in the air at this precise time they would experience a floating sensation. Sure enough, at around 9:48 the BBC received hundreds of phone calls from listeners who had indeed 'experienced' this phenomenon. One woman claimed that she and eleven chums had actually floated round her living room. April Fool's Day is thought by many to have originated in France around 1582 when Charles IX introduced the Gregorian Calendar. This resulted in New Year's Day being moved from March 25th-April 1st (new year's week), to January 1st. Because of slow communications and in some cases refusal to accept the change, many people continued with the old dates and were labelled as “fools”. It then became acceptable to send them on “fool's errands”, invite them to non-existent parties and generally play practical jokes. The victims of these pranks became known as "poisson d'avril" or "April fish" because a young fish is more easily caught. In addition, one common practice, particularly in France, was to hook a paper fish on the back of someone as a joke. Personally, I think being a fool on just one day each year is a terrible waste, if you train really hard like what I have, you can be a 365 day a year fool, it's great. Why not give it a go! “The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected”. ~Will Rogers. Roly
Bonne Fête Maman !
T
he bond between mother and child is one of the strongest of human emotions. It was celebrated in festivals by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. In 17th Century England, children, who had been sent away from home to work as domestic servants, were allowed to return to see their mothers one day each year. Over the years the custom lapsed, until in 1914 "Mother's Day" was made a national holiday throughout the USA. It is interesting to note that the apostrophe comes before the “s”. Each family is supposed to honour its own mother, not all the mothers in the world. During World War I, American soldiers brought the custom to France. Mother's Day was widely celebrated in 1918 and in 1920 the French Government declared December 19th "La Fête des Mères" .
Home is where the Art is
R
egular readers may remember an article in 2009 about a fantastic art-loan scheme called l'Artothèque. Still going strong, this is a scheme that allows you to borrow original, contemporary art to display and enjoy in the comfort of your own home for a very modest annual fee. To join L'Artothèque du Lot you simply pay a one-off 20 euros to become a member and then an annual fee of 50 euros. This entitles you to borrow up to two pieces of art that you can change every two months. The scheme is open to anyone that has a house in the Lot, all you have to do is provide a copy of your house insurance. The collection includes over 400 items including prints, etchings, lithographs, drawings and photographs by professional artists from all over the world. The collection is added to every year, selected by a panel of art experts. To join the scheme simply visit one of the three L'Arthothèque du Lot locations as follows : Cahors - the Conseil Général building in Place Chapou (overlooking the market square). L'Artothèque is open on Mondays between 14h and 18h plus the first Wednesday of each month 14.30h - 18h. Remember to take some form of identity with you such as a passport or driving licence as you need to sign in with security before you can enter the building. Cajarc - Maison des Arts Georges Pompidou, every third Thursday and fourth Wednesday of the month 10-12h and 13h-18h. Gramat - Médiathèque Municipale, every second Wednesday of the month between 2pm and 5pm. This scheme is a really tremendous opportunity to enjoy great art in the comfort of your own home at a very reasonable price. It also gives you the chance to experiment and pick some pieces that are a bit different, knowing that you don't have to live with them forever, just for a couple of months. We have been members for two years now and highly recommend it - we think it's the best deal in the Lot! Shirley
For further information go to the website www.lot.fr or by e-mail on artotheque@cg46.fr
Focus was on the need to repopulate France after its appalling wartime casualties, and mothers were awarded bronze, silver or gold medals according to the number of children they had. This was abandoned when, on 25th May 1945, the French Government instituted a revised "Fêtes des Mères". In England, the custom was not revived until US soldiers brought it back during the Second World War. In France, "Fêtes des Mères" is celebrated on the last Sunday of May unless this clashes with Pentecost, in which case it moves to the first Sunday in June. In 2011, it falls on 29th May. In the UK, Mothering Sunday is the 4th Sunday in Lent. In 2011, this is 3rd April. Mothers Day has become the most highly commercialised of all holidays in the USA. Nevertheless its true spirit still remains in the thousands of letters, drawings, flowers and small presents given by children all over the world to their beloved Maman. Tony
LE FIRE SHOP Eddie Matthews Bouriane Ramonage & Le Fire Shop 46310 Concores Tel : 06 74 41 71 96 Email : info@fireshopinfrance.com Sale & Intsallation of quality woodburning stoves, Chimney Sweeping services, Outdoor Chimneas & Pizza Ovens
Tiles, earthenware, bathroom equipment, paintings, woodfloor, panellings, stairs, paving, terrace strips, joinery...
www.fireshopinfrance.com www.chimneysweepinfrance.com
LE FORTY-SIX 15 février - 15 avril 2011
page 11