Why do I need to know muguet?
Because it’s particularly important to have one on May 1st and it will bring you and your loved ones good luck.
What does it mean?
Muguet, roughly pronounced moo-geh (listen here) is a type of flower, lily-of-the-valley in English.
But it has a more cultural role to play in France than just being pretty and fragrant.
May 1st is an important day in France; it’s a public holiday, it marks the day of workers’ rights and there are usually demonstrations.
READ ALSO What to expect on May 1st in France
And it’s also traditional to buy muguet or muguet de mai as they’re sometimes known.
This traditional goes right back to 1561.
Apparently on May 1st that year France’s King Charles IX was given a muguet flower as a lucky charm and liked it so much that he decided to offer them each year to the ladies of the court.
These days French people buy bouquets of muguet and give them to friends and family and loved ones on May 1st to bring good luck.
They’re normally sold in florists and supermarkets, but you will also see temporary street stalls selling them, these are often operated by trade unions or leftist groups, with the money raised going towards their organisations.
And if you want an indication of how important these flowers are in French culture – look back to 2020 when then Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume, in the middle of dealing with a global pandemic, took the time to tweet to reassure the French people that the flowers will be available despite the lockdowns.
100 % du muguet produit par les horticulteurs français doit être vendus pour fêter le 1 mai! Un brin de bonheur en solidarité avec nos travailleurs de la 1 ère ligne, nos aînés et avec tous les confinés, qui, restant chez eux, contribuent à la préservation de notre santé. pic.twitter.com/kOeBIZTws2
— Didier GUILLAUME (@dguillaume26) April 21, 2020
READ MORE: Climate change threatens France’s ‘lucky’ May flower
