As we drove around Clapiers today, buying what we wanted for lunch, we spotted people selling lilies of the valley all around town. Tradition says that On May 1, 1561, King Charles IX of France received a lily of the valley as a lucky charm. Supposedly, he decided to offer a lily of the valley each year thereafter to the ladies of his court.
At the beginning of the 20th century, it became custom on the 1st of May, to give a sprig of lily of the valley, a symbol of springtime. The French government permits individuals and workers' organisations to set up stands and sell them free of taxation on May 1.
