May Day

The month of  May has more jours fériés (bank holidays) than any other month in France. There are two fêtes civiles - the Fête du Travail (Labour Day, 1st May) and Victoire des Alliés (VE Day, 8th May). Then come two fêtes religieuses, namely Ascension (13th May) and Lundi de Pentecote (24th May).

Le 1er Mai, also known as May Day or Fête du Muguet is a national holiday and celebrated every May 1st in France with the giving of Muguet (Lily of the Valley).

The tradition for May Day is to give friends and loved ones a little bouquet of Muguet, considered a porte-bonheur ( a bringer of happiness and luck), and to celebrate the arrival of spring. In and around France, you'll notice on every street corner, someone selling these little bouquets, nicely wrapped in paper and ribbon.   Although at all other times of the year, selling any kind of flowers or anything else on the street requires paying for a permit, May Day is exempted from tax, and anyone can sell the blossoms anywhere without being tithed by the city. Commuters are everywhere clutching their muguet. Yesterday, a man was standing outside our apartment complex, in the cold and rain, selling muguet.

Bonne Fête du 1er Mai! (though I reckon its normally accompanied by warmer & sunny days...)

Note to parents: These pretty flowers are poisonous, even the leaves and stem are toxic and the water which you put the sprigs in...

Le 1er Mai also marks Lucas & my 1st anniversary here in France. It's exactly 12 months ago that we boarded the MH plane and took that journey which brought us to our brand new life in Tarbes.