French with Nicole

  The first of May has been an annual public holiday in France, known as La fête du travail (labour day)  since 1948. It  also marks a beautiful tradition  “la fête du muguet”   (lily of the valley festival). Back on 1 st  May 1560, King Charles IX of France was presented with a bouquet of  muguet  ( lily of the valley )   as a lucky charm. The king appreciated the gift so much that he decided to gift a bunch of lily of the valley to the women of his court every year on the 1 st  May. The gesture became more commonplace at the beginning of the 20 th  century with men presenting the flowers to women to show their affection. Today, it has become traditional to give a sprig of the blooms (or send a card) as a token of love or friendship and good luck to close friends and family members. For just one day each year, the French government allows the tax-free sale of lily of the valley on the street to promote this tradition. I remember going on a yearly outing with my parents and picking  mu

  Pâques   (Easter )  is one of the most important holidays in France and is celebrated with a traditional family gathering. Food is, of course, the main focus of the celebration with  l’agneau pascal  (roast lamb) taking centre stage. If you are walking around a French supermarket at Easter time, you might wonder why there are  les cloches de Pâques  ( chocolate bells ) alongside the more familiar eggs. Traditionally, church bells ring every day of the year to invite faithful to attend the Mass. The only exception is in the run up to Easter, when they do not ring between Good Friday and Easter Sunday to commemorate the death of Christ and his resurrection. Myth has it that during this time, the bells fly to Rome to be blessed by the Pope.  The bells return the evening before Easter Sunday and randomly drop treats for children. On Sunday morning someone will shout  “ les cloches sont passées ”  (the bells have gone by)  and the children run outside on the hunt for chocolate treats. Sho