Happy May Day and workers unite!

Wishing you a radical May Day for those of you with little anarchist hearts! Actually it's a day to celebrate all workers - and comes from the traditional spring holiday and dates from pagan times.

In France, it's celebrated with Muguet, lilies of the valley sold on many street corners and scents up the house.

The plant has long been considered a symbol of spring,  renewal and luck since the days of the Celts. However it really gained importance in France after King Charles IX of France was given a lily of the valley plant on the 1st May in 1561.  He was told it would bring him luck and being a superstitious person, he thought it would be a nice idea to give a lily of the valley plant every year on May 1st to the ladies of his court to bring more luck all round.

This became popular and a tradition for men to offer a lily of the valley bouquet to loved ones and sweethearts as a token of devotion and love.  The flowers were also made into buttonhole sprigs for boys to wear to parties in the olden days called “bals du muguet” where girls dressed in white were allowed to meet potential boyfriends without their parents being present to put a damper on things!  At the “bals de muguet” a sweet Moselle wine was served and it was said that to be happy all year one had only to drink the wine known as “May drink” on May 1st.

Cara - Tuesday en route to Paris