May 1 in France
In France, 1 May is a public holiday. We celebrate Labor Day but it is also the day when family and friends give one another lily of the valley. Find out more about the significance of this day in France.
Labor Day
Vincennes : 1er mai : [photographie de presse] / Agence Meurisse
Little piece of trivia… May 1 is the only day of the year when employers are legally obligated to give the day off to their workers, except for professions that cannot be interrupted due to their nature (such as workers in hospitals and public transport). Even newspapers don’t publish on May 1, which this year falls on a Sunday. You'll find the random bakery open but really everything is closed (especially outside of Paris).
Over 160 countries in the world celebrate Labor Day on May 1, the US and Canada are outliers and celebrate in September. This is sort of strange to me because the origins of Labor Day can be traced back to the United States in the 19th Century. May 1 in particular was chosen as the date to mark Labor Day to commemorate the US nationwide strike for an eight-hour day in 1886 that began on May 1 and ended as the Haymarket affair in Chicago.
Photo: LyonCapitale
Demonstrations and marches are a Labour Day tradition in France, where trade unions organize parades in major cities to defend workers' rights. France averages about 160,000 people marching in parades on May 1. The biggest parade and rally is by far in Paris. It ends at Place de la Nation. Here is the official publicity from one of the big unions for this year’s event.
Since May 1 is a day when almost the entirety of the country has the day off and it is usually the start of great weather, many people travel and make a long weekend out of it. This year May 1 falls right in the middle of spring break for kids in the Paris zone. Kids and adults alike are always disappointed when it falls on a weekend and there is no day off but today’s weather throughout France made up for it.
Lily of the Valley
Like every year, it is customary to offer a sprig of lily of the valley (in French they are called muguets) to loved ones on May 1st. These flowers arrived in Europe in the Middle Ages, this fragrant flower is actually native to Japan.
It was in the 16th century that the tradition of offering lily of the valley was born. At that time, the feast of love was not on Valentine's Day, but on May 1st. Princes and lords would make wreaths of flowers, and offer them to their beloveds.
It was King Charles IX who received some lily of the valley on May 1, 1560 and decided that henceforth all the ladies of the court would receive this flower with white bells every year. The King was just 10 years old at this time and the government was run by his mother Catherine de Medici in the role of gouvernante (governor of France).
Charles IX, who was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, is not my favorite king due to the role he played in the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre (August 1572). He ordered the slaughter of protestants who were in Paris for the marriage of his sister to Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV) a Protestant. In Paris there were 3,000 people killed. The momentum of the massacre spread to the countryside and across France and by the end of it estimates are that there may have been up to 30,000 protestants massacred.
Charles IX de France, painting by François Clouet
It's quite a contrast to think that the same guy who is responsible for the St Bartholomew's Day massacre is also the guy that popularized the giving of lily of the valley. A flower which symbolizes absolute purity, youth, sincerity, discretion, and happiness.
Traditionally, three sprigs of lily of the valley are offered, made up, if possible, of 13 bells to bring luck to the recipient.
I received three bouquets today, so many more than 13 little white bells. I hope you too get to enjoy these fragrant little flowers this spring.
