Lily of the Valley for Luck

I have always been charmed by the lovely Lily of the Valley, that tiny, fragrant flower of May. So, as I patiently wait for the muguet des bois – Lily of the Valley – to appear in my garden, I am reminded of the profusion of these sweet-scented flowers that I saw in Paris this time last year. As I stepped out onto the street that May 1st, it seemed that every street corner had at least one, if not several, vendeurs muguet – Lily of the Valley vendors – selling little posies of them.

Fête du Muguet

I was aware that it was Fête du Travail – Labour Day – in France and that it was a national holiday. But the sudden appearance of an abundance of these tiny, white, bell-shaped flowers was a mystery to me. I was determined to find out what the meaning behind it was.

A little digging quickly answered my questions. In France, May 1st is also known as la Fête du Muguet – Lily of the Valley Day. There it is tradition to celebrate spring by wishing friends and family ‘bon courage‘ – ‘good luck’ with sprays of muguet as a porte-boneur – lucky charm. It is believed that whoever discovers a stem of Lily of the Valley with 13 tiny bells will be particularly lucky. This custom began on May 1st, 1561 when King Charles IX of France was given a muguet as a porte-bonheur. He was so enchanted by this idea that he decided to gift one to each of the ladies of court on that day every year.

Fête du Travail

The labour movement also adopted le muguet as a symbol of their cause. During Fête du Travail parades, marchers often sport a sprig of it alongside a red triangle on their shirts. These items symbolize the goal the movement adopted back in 1890; that a workday should consist of 8 hours work, 8 hours sleep, and 8 hours leisure – something I think we can all be grateful for. These two Fêtes also converge in another way. May 1st is the only day that people can sell flowers on the street without a license and without having to pay tax.

Mystery solved! And a bit of the luck that I received that beautiful May day: enjoying this lovely pot de fleur en chocolat – chocolate flower pot from Dalloyau.

Un brin de chance
Un brin de bonheur
Bientôt la délivrance
Pour des jours meilleurs

A touch of luck
A touch of happiness
Soon deliver
Better days

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