The lily of the valley of the first of May
The tradition of lily of the valley dates back to the Renaissance, around 1561, when Charles IX offered it as a good luck charm. The story goes that Charles IX and his mother Catherine de Medici visited the Dauphiné in 1560, where a knight named Louis de Girard de Maisonforte offered the king a sprig of lily of the valley from his garden in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux. Charmed by this gesture, the king took the habit of offering each spring a sprig of lily of the valley to each lady of the court, thus launching this custom across the country.
In 1793, the republican calendar of Fabre d'Églantine proposed a Labor Day on the 3rd day of the sansculottides, on April 26, associating the lily of the valley with this "republican day" and breaking with the royal tradition.
This tradition was lost until 1895, when the singer Félix Mayol arrived in Paris and received a bouquet of lily of the valley from his friend Jenny Cook. An anecdote reports that he wore a touch of lily of the valley during his premiere on the Paris Concert stage, thus replacing the camellia traditionally worn by elegant men at the time.
At the Belle Époque, the great French couturiers offered lily of the valley to their employees and customers on May 1, and Christian Dior made it the emblem of his fashion house, popularizing this tradition in Paris.
At the beginning of the 20th century, lily of the valley was associated with Labour Day, replacing the red rose hip. The sale of lily of the valley in the streets of Nantes began around 1932, then spread throughout France around 1936.
In France, the sale of thrush by individuals and associations is tolerated on May 1, provided that legal rules are respected, such as selling only thrush picked in gardens or woods.
Each year, about 60 million strands of thrush are produced, mainly in the Nantes region and partly in the Bordeaux region, representing a market of about 90 million euros.
There is a tradition in France according to which a sprig of lily of the valley with 13 bells brings luck.