No, Air Transat hasn’t changed the name of the Atlantic Ocean to the Canadien Ocean. But with a nod and a wink to the potus across the border, the company said it was unilaterally changing the name and announced as much in onboard announcements across its network yesterday – April 1.
“We’ve been flying the Montréal way for 37 years – bold, full of joie de vivre, and just a little cheeky,” said Xavier Szwengler, VP of Marketing and Loyalty at Transat. “As a proudly ‘Canadien’ airline, we want to celebrate this moment with Canadians at a time when we’re rediscovering and embracing our national identity.”
Another perennial prankster – WestJet – weighed in with the announcement of the “launch” of an “unbelievable program” – Vacation Flex, offering guests the chance to share their vacation posts beyond social media.
“When guests go on vacation, one of the things they look forward to most is chronicling their travel experience for friends and family on social media,” said WestJet Director of Marketing, Jennifer Callegaro, tongue in cheek. “We are excited to offer guests a new, creative way to share their travel stories on billboards and bus stops across Canada, with Vacation Flex.”
WestJet’s website let everyone off the hook, stating, “While Vacation Flex isn’t real, these deals are. Don’t miss your chance to save on 100+ destinations!”
History of April Fool’s Day
In Canada, and across much of the world, April Fools’ Day was celebrated on Tuesday with practical jokes and elaborate hoaxes that have been around for hundreds of years, although its exact birth is difficult to pinpoint.
These days, depending on your location, it could be marked with a fish secretly pinned to someone’s back or a whoopee cushion or even news reports of flying penguins (yes, that actually happened)
In North America, the pranks are typically followed by screams of “April Fools!” to make sure all are aware that they were the unsuspecting recipient of a practical joke.
So, where did April Fools’ Day come from? There are plenty of theories, but it’s not clear exactly which one might be true. But what is clear is that April Fools’ Day has roots stretching back hundreds of years.
One idea is that it dates back to France in 1564, when King Charles IX moved the New Year celebration from its weeklong observance beginning March 25 to a celebration on Jan. 1. Those who forgot or were never told about the change were mocked.
A similar theory ties April Fools’ Day to the 1582 change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, according to the US Library of Congress. But it explains that this type of origin story has been used to explain several holidays and may be more of a “migratory legend.”
And then there’s the theory that it could be connected to the March 21 vernal equinox, which is known as a day when people are tricked by unexpected weather changes, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
Whatever its origin, the first time there was clear documented reference to the day was in 1561 when the Flemish writer Eduard De Dene wrote in his poem about a nobleman sending his servant on pointless tasks, according to the Library of Congress. The servant soon realizes that he has been “sent on ‘fool’s errands’ because it’s April 1,” the library states.
What are some of the most famous April Fools’ Day pranks?
Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin became known for announcing outlandish ideas every April Fools’ Day soon after starting their company more than a quarter century ago. One year, Google posted a job opening for a Copernicus research centre on the moon. Another year, the company said it planned to roll out a “scratch and sniff” feature on its search engine.
In 1992, NPR ‘s “Talk of the Nation” program announced that former-President Richard Nixon, who resigned in 1974, would be running for president, according to the Museum of Hoaxes. A comedian had impersonated Nixon to say, “I never did anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.”
One of the most notable pranks involved the BBC World Service in 1980 declaring that Big Ben would become a digital clock and renamed Digital Dave, according to the UK Parliament.
April Fools’ Day around the world?
In France, the day is known as poisson d’avril, or “April Fish,” and has long had a fish-themed pranking tradition. In modern times, it’s become more of a day for children to relish in attaching paper fish to their friends’ backs, Atlas Obscura says.
In Scotland, April Fools’ has a history of being a two-day event. April 1 is known as “Gowkie Day” or “Hunt the Gowk,” explained Encyclopedia Britannica. Gowk is a term used to describe a fool. On April 2, the celebration may become more physical, with children attaching “kick me” signs to people’s backs.
The day is also celebrated in Iceland, with the aim being to get people to “hlaupa apríl,” or “make an April run.” In other words, to trick someone in a way that makes them travel to a different location. News agencies have also been known to participate in pranking people. In 2014, for example, Iceland Review ran a story with the headline, “Google Signs Deal with Iceland,” saying the fake news was part of “a long-standing tradition of the Icelandic media.”
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