Happy May Day! I don’t often repost posts but here’s one I published previously.
May 1st is a special day in France. It’s a holiday, a day off work. May Day is also known in France as the Fête du Travail.
It is also la Fête du Muguet when it’s traditional to give loved ones a sprig of lily of the valley, a symbol of spring and good luck.
The tradition of offering small bunches of Lily of the Valley, le muguet, to friends and family, as a good luck charm, apparently dates back to the Renaissance. Charles IX gave the flower to the ladies of his court and decreed on May 1st, 1561, that anyone in France can legally sell flowers without a license, on May day, as long as they are a reasonable distance from the nearest flower shop.
I have also read that the lily of the valley flowers sprung from Eve’s tears when she was forced to leave the Garden of Eden. Elsewhere it is said that the flower comes from the tears of the Virgin Mary when she cried at the Crucifixion.
The photo below is of some lily of the valley growing in my garden. It looks a bit sad, at the moment!
Fancying France 
One of my grand daughters was born 1st of May. As a wee girl she was most annoyed that people in the world used her birthday to dance around poles.
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Hahaha, so cute!
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It’s nice that you have muget in your garden, even if there is only 1 flower at the moment. 🙂 I didn’t get around to buying any for the 1st May this year. It’s such a pretty flower!
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In our UK we have loads of muguet. In fact, it’s threatening to take over! We don’t have any in France so must bring some over to see how it will do here.
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When I was a very little girl I remember that my mum used a Muguet talcum powder. I think it was by Yardley. She used to grow Lily if he Valley in the garden and when I left home I took some with me but they didn’t grow. Over the years I’ve tried several times but with no success.
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Yardley’s talcum powder – that brings back memories. The Lily of the Valley in our garden also came from my mum’s garden. It’s spread like wildfire! I’m wondering if it will grow as well in France.
Just to let you know that I’m going to nominate you for a Sunshine Blogger award. Watch this space!
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Goodness me! Thank you June. I’m very flattered. My mum told me that lily f the valley would spread like wildfire. I was so disappointed!
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It’s a pleasure and well deserved!
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I love the scent of the Lily of the Valley flower!
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It is a lovely fragrance although I do know some people who can’t stand it! It’s often perceived as being an old-fashioned scent, although I think it stands the test of time. Lavender is another gorgeous smelling plant.
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