April Newsletter

Hello Members!

Happy April Fool's Day! No one really knows where the tradition of pulling pranks on April 1st comes from. The story most often cited takes us back to 1582, when French King Charles IX switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. By selecting January 1st, the King sought to eliminate the bureaucratic headache of regional differences in the start of the New Year. As always with changes, pockets of resistance persisted. The people who insisted the year started on April 1st became the butt of jokes and were called “April fools.” Pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person!

April is also National Poetry Month, Jazz Appreciation Month and Adopt a Ferret Month. Wait, a ferret?? It turns out ferrets need an adoption day because not many of them get adopted. We wonder why. While we are quite sure these adorable creatures can bring excitement into your life, we strongly recommend you do your research first.

At the Alliance this month, we are also hoping to bring excitement into your life - and a lot less maintenance. On April 8, Dr. Dudley Marchi will tell us the fascinating story of the Merci Trains that were sent to the US by France, in appreciation for liberating France from Nazi occupation. On April 13, docent Lee Rubinstein will take us on a virtual art walk through Paris at the Getty's, featuring works by Watteau, David, Chardin, Monet and Degas, to name just a few. Both presentations are in English.

Click here is the full list of upcoming events