Learn about the long weekends of May in France and the meaning of “faire le pont” and discover a charming French tradition involving lily-of-the-valley.
Traveling in May in France is usually a bit complicated. We have many French holidays, and many extended weekends since the French “font le pont” – they will take an extra day off when there is only one day separating a holiday from a weekend, and therefore have a “long weekend”.
We also have a strange French tradition for May 1st…
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May 1st : Labor Day, May Day and Lily of the valley day in France
May 1st : Labor Day, May Day and Lily of the valley day in France
May 1st is Labor Day in France. So it’s a holiday, and people don’t work and most shops are closed.
Except florists!
Time to tell you about “Le Muguet” (Lilly of the valley). On May 1st, it’s the tradition to give to women a sprig of lily of the valley for luck 🍀.
Well, most people give a bunch, a small bouquet, ora live plant that you can then plant in your garden. It’s now fashionable to also mix a couple of stands of lily of the valley with a rose…
When I was much younger, kids would go pick some in the woods, andsell them on the streets. On that day, everybody is allowed to sell lily-of-the-valley anywhere, even door-to-door, without any kind of permit. It’s called “la vente à sauvette” – selling on the run – and nowadays lots of people still do it – but the flower is usually bought and sold with a profit with flower growers.
In May, we have a Christian holiday, l’Ascension (this year the 18th), when Christians celebrate the day Jesus Christ reborn ascended to the Heavens.
Then, we sometimes have another Christian holiday” la Pentecôte” is celebrated 40 days after “Pâques” (Easter), which is usually sometimes in May – May 29th this year. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ.
What Does “Faire le Pont” Mean in French?
Now all these wouldn’t be too bad if the French didn’t have this habit of “faire le pont” – literally “to do the bridge.”
“Faire le pont” means that when a holiday is on a Tuesday or a Thursday, the day which links over to the the weekend is also off for the employees (who still getpaid).
See the calendar above… You have a typical “pont” example this year: Thursday the 18th is a holiday, so many people are not going to work on the 19th, and enjoy a four-day weekend!
This affects schools (read more about the French school system here) and other institutions including banks, museums, most offices, small boutiques. Most supermarkets are open but only for a few hours. You can imagine that the month of May is not a good one for the French economy…
“how much does it cost? (to the economy)“ “A bag of coal, a pack of beer, lamb sausages, skewers…” Image credits: Ouest France
Watch Out For ExtendedMay Weekends in France
Of course “les ponts du mois de mai” have a tremendous influence on the price of train tickets and the traffic on the roads.You can count on major traffic jams!
Est-ce que vous faites le pont de la Pentecôte ? Are you having an extended weekend around La Pentecôte?
Je vais profiter du pont pour partir en vacances. I’ll take advantage of the long weekend to go on vacation.
Mai Traditions in France Video
A neighbour of mine kindly gave me access to his garden in Paimpol, Brittany so I could film this video. You can turn the subtitles in French (checked by me) and English with the CC option located to the bottom right of the video (CC and gear).
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In France, May Day is also referred to as La Fête du Muguet (Lilly of the Valley Day), as people traditionally give bouquets to loved ones, especially in Paris… but why? Well, this tradition goes back to 1561. King Charles IX of France was given a lily of the valley flowers as a present on May 1.
May Day (La Fête du Muguet, La Fête du Travail) in France is a public holiday to campaign for and celebrate workers rights. It is also an occasion to present lily-of-the-valley or dog rose flowers to loved ones.
Owing to the difficulty of distinguishing the letter "S" by telephone, the international distress signal "S.O.S." will give place to the words "May-day", the phonetic equivalent of "M'aidez", the French for "Help me."
How do French people celebrate May 8? In Paris, the President of the Republic leads the ceremonies at the grave of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe. Throughout France, each municipality, whatever its size, organize parades and tributes to commemorate May 8th.
Steeped in tradition and history, the lily of the valley flower is a very special gift in France during the month of May. As the month of May draws near, the woodlands of Europe begin to brighten up with the colours of the blossoming May flower, lily of the valley.
No matter its origins, May Day is a wonderful way to welcome the spring and appreciate your family, friends, and colleagues. We wish you all a happy (and lucky) day!
Before the battle, the Voortrekkers had taken a vow that, if they succeeded in defeating the Zulus, they would build a church and observe the day as a religious holiday. The observance became known as Dingane's Day (after the Zulu king Dingane), and in 1910 the day was established as a public holiday.
The 14th of July, or Bastille Day is easily one of the most celebrated French traditions. This is the French National Holiday, or the equivalent of Independence Day in many other countries. Bastille Day refers to the storming of the Bastille on July 14th, 1789.
There are so many ways to celebrate May Day, big and small! Today, people celebrate May Day by making flower crowns and baskets, planting flowers for the spring, decorating their homes in bright colors to embrace the change, nature walks, picnics, and enjoying the outdoors!
Quick Facts. WWII Victory Day (la fête de la victoire, le jour de la libération) is a holiday to celebrate the end of World War II and the French people's freedom.
The May birth flowers are lily of the valley and hawthorn. With its delicate flowers and sweet scent, lily of the valley is a real favourite of many! And royal brides love lily of the valley too.
May is one of the best months to see spring wildflowers such as cowslips, wood violets and lilies of the valley in bloom. From late winter, flowering and fruit trees produce flamboyant blooms on bare branches: magnolias, apple, cherry, and almond trees.
What is the proper response to bonjour? It's more than sufficient to simply say bonjour back in response to those who greet you, but if you want to go a step beyond, you can respond with comment allez-vous, which is the French equivalent of asking how it's going.
Wishing someone “Good day” is somewhat formal for people in most of the English world, but in French, it's just the standard – bonjour really is the equivalent of saying “hello” or “good morning”. You can use it with anyone, from a close friend or family member, to someone you've just met.
Simple French greetings will serve you well on your trip to Paris. And don't forget, politeness counts! Polite Parisians always end their greetings with either Madame, Monsieur or Mademoiselle. Therefore, "hello" is always "bonjour, madame" or "bonjour, monsieur".
Traditions often include gathering wildflowers and green branches, weaving floral garlands, crowning a May Queen (sometimes with a male companion), and setting up a Maypole, May Tree or May Bush, around which people dance.
People would leave a paper basket or cone containing spring flowers and sweets on each other's doorsteps, usually anonymously. This tradition was popular through the 19th and 20th centuries, especially with children or sweethearts. The custom was to knock on the door, yell “May basket!” and then run.
Since much of the air traffic at the time was between Croydon and Le Bourget Airport in Paris, he proposed the term "mayday", the phonetic equivalent of the French m'aidez ("help me") or m'aider (a short form of venez m'aider, "come [and] help me").
The French eat at least three meals a day and usually in courses. They eat a lot of bread, but not cakes or pastries. They eat lots of cheese, around 25 kilos each year! The French eat more fish than meat.
Here, we've gathered a sampling of our traditional French favorites: the wine-braised chicken stew coq au vin, the Provençal fish stew bouillabaisse, a vegetable-based take on French onion soup, and more. Pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy cooking your way through these classics.
One of the revolutionary days in Paris and now a national holiday, the 14th of July ("Bastille Day") is celebrated with a mixture of solemn military parades and easygoing dancing and fireworks.
Celebrated on July, 14, Bastille Day is the French national day and the most important bank holiday in France! Setting the storming of the Bastille in 1789 as an essential part of the French History. The 14th July has become a major public holiday, traditionally considered as the symbol of the French Revolution.
The marchés de Noel, or Christmas markets, are an important part of the French Christmas tradition. Beginning usually the last weekend of November and continuing until Christmas Day or into the New Year, little wooden stalls pop up in the center of villages and cities all over the country.
In general, traditional French women's dresses feature a long, full skirt with a fitted bodice, apron, and a headscarf. The bodice is typically made of velvet, silk or linen and is decorated with intricate embroidery or lace. The skirt is made of heavy cotton or wool, and is also decorated with similar embellishments.
France is known all around the world for Paris and its monuments such as the Eiffel Tower and the Notre-Dame cathedral. French people are very passionate about their culture and art, which is showcased in many museums like the Louvre.
It was not until 1981 and the arrival of François Mitterrand to the presidency of the Republic that the date of May 8 was re-established as a public holiday, with a law dated September 23, 1981. As for the 11th of November, commemorations and tributes to the victims of this war take place in France on May 8th.
Greet friends & family with a check-to-cheek air kiss
“It is custom when meeting a friend, family member, or host family to 'faire la bise,' which is when you kiss each cheek of the person you're greeting,” said staffer Abby, who studied in France.
Quick Facts. WWII Victory Day (la fête de la victoire, le jour de la libération) is a holiday to celebrate the end of World War II and the French people's freedom.
The 14th of July, or Bastille Day is easily one of the most celebrated French traditions. This is the French National Holiday, or the equivalent of Independence Day in many other countries. Bastille Day refers to the storming of the Bastille on July 14th, 1789.
May Day traditions in France are all about two things: muguet, pronounced “moo-gay” (lily of the valley in English) and Labour Day. On the 1st of May friends and family offer each other little sprigs, bouquets or whole plants of lily of the valley for good luck.
May Day, also called Workers' Day or International Workers' Day, day commemorating the historic struggles and gains made by workers and the labour movement, observed in many countries on May 1. In the United States and Canada a similar observance, known as Labor Day, occurs on the first Monday of September.
Introduction: My name is Tish Haag, I am a excited, delightful, curious, beautiful, agreeable, enchanting, fancy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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