May 1st: lily of the valley, French flower expressions & a little cultural difference
May 1st… but here in England, we work! Having grown up with the French tradition, I was caught off guard in my first year. Wait — it's not a bank holiday? No lily of the valley in the streets, no sprigs exchanged between colleagues? But why is May 1st a public holiday in France? And why do the French give each other lily of the valley on that day?
The story goes back a long way. In Ancient Rome, people already celebrated flowers at the beginning of May during the Floralia, a festival in honour of Flora, the goddess of flowers. Lily of the valley, which blooms right in spring, has therefore always been a symbol of renewal.
May 1st is also International Workers' Day, established in 1889 during the International Socialist Congress in Paris. It's a public holiday in France, and the tradition of offering lily of the valley as a good luck charm gradually took hold from the late 19th century onwards.
And among the most famous lovers of lily of the valley? Christian Dior! The couturier grew up surrounded by this flower in the family garden in Granville, Normandy. He would sew a sprig of lily of the valley into the hem of each of his creations to bring them luck, and every May 1st he would give sprigs to his clients and staff. 🤍
Today, May 1st is the only day of the year when individuals can sell lily of the valley on the street without a special permit (the one you cut yourself and not bought ones), if you find a sprig with 13 bells… keep it safe, according to popular belief, it brings exceptional luck! 🍀 🌸
Speaking of flowers…
…did you know they pop up everywhere in the French language?
Here are 5 flowery French expressions worth knowing:
🌼 Faire une fleur à quelqu'un → to grant a favour, to do something nice for someone.
"Mon voisin m'a fait une fleur en gardant mon chat pendant les vacances."
(My neighbour did me a favour by looking after my cat during the holidays.)
🌼 Arriver comme une fleur → to show up casually, as if nothing were the matter.
"Elle est arrivée comme une fleur au rendez-vous, sans se soucier de son retard."
(She showed up breezily at the meeting, not worried about being late.)
🌼 À fleur de peau → to be oversensitive, on edge.
"En ce moment, il est à fleur de peau, la moindre remarque le blesse."
(Right now, he's on edge — the slightest comment hurts him.)
🌼 Envoyer des fleurs à quelqu'un → to praise or compliment someone (sometimes ironically).
"Après son discours catastrophique, personne ne va lui envoyer des fleurs !"
(After his disastrous speech, nobody's going to be singing his praises!)
🌼 Être fleur bleue → to be romantic, sentimental, easily moved.
"Ma sœur est complètement fleur bleue, elle pleure devant tous les films d'amour."
(My sister is totally romantic — she cries during every love film.)
