Lily of the Valley – May Day in France (2010)

Lily of the Valley – May Day in France (2010)

May Day in France – Lily of the Valley, Romance and Workers Rights

The First of May is a Public Holiday in France, officially known as La Fête du Travail (National Labour Day) but also called La Fête du Muguet (Lily of the Valley Day). The Romance – Lily of the Valley on May Day

It is a tradition on this day to offer a sprig of lily-of-the-valley (“muguet” in French) to loved ones, and in the week leading up to May Day you can buy bunches of this fragrant spring flower in every florist and most supermarkets, either as cut flowers or as plants in pots. The French tradition of giving lily-of-the-valley flowers on May Day is supposed to have begun on May 1st, 1561, when King Charles IX of France was presented with a bunch of lily-of-the-valley flowers as a token of luck and prosperity for the coming year.

Source: visitnormandy.wordpress.com