Le 1er mai : La Fête du Muguet et la Fête du Travail
1st May: Lily of the Valley & Labour Day
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Le 1er mai : La Fête du Muguet et la Fête du Travail
The first day of May in France is La Fête du Travail (Labour Day). It is a holiday, a day off from work for everyone, with one major exception: florists.
May 1 is also La Fête du Muguet, and and it's traditional to offer one's loved ones a sprig of lily of the valley (un brin de muguet), symbol of spring and of good luck, especially if the sprig has 13 bellflowers - « Les noces de muguet » symbolise 13 years of marriage in French folklore.
Originally the idea was to take the kids into the forest and pick your own muguet together. Of course, in the city you will more likely buy it from the florist's, or better yet, from one of the countless stands that sprout up overnight on every street corner and every road in France, most of them doing this as a fundraiser for one cause or another. On this day they have the right to sell lily of the valley tax-free.
For more on La Fête du Travail, click here.
For more on La Fête du Muguet, click here.