This is just a fraction of the lilies-of-the-valley growing right along the path
, in my English garden. ‘Ha…I could make a fortune with this little lot in the cours Mirabeau’, I said to M. Aixcentric, jokingly.
Good thing that I was joking as I now know the town has imposed some pretty stringent rules about this annual tradition.
For newcomers to France, tradition has it that if someone offers you a sprig of lily of the valley, it will bring good luck. Apparently, over 60 million ‘brins de muguet’ are sold in France every year, and it’s a boon for charities and labour organisations who are allowed to sell bouquets of lily of the valley, tax-free, on the street on May 1.
The problem is that it’s a nice little earner for all and sundry and so the Mairie in Aix has emphasised that it is for charitable or neighbourhood organisations only, and has published the following rules:
Sales only on May 1st
Must be over 100m from any florist shop
No tables or chairs; can’t sell from a bike, car or pram
Must be a simple ‘brin de muguet’, so no added flowers, plants, pottery etc. Just a straighforward cellophane wrap.
‘Une amende’ is threatened for people transgressing. Details here: http://www.aixenprovence.fr/Vente-du-muguet-pour-le-1er-mai
So I’ll leave my pretty lilies in the garden and give them to friends for luck!
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