The Big Three

If you had to guess, which would you say are *the* three days of the year when everything shuts down in France? Everything, as in - no buses, no groceries, no nothin'. Possibly excepting a boulangerie...

You would probably get New Year's Day. And, given the Catholic history and culture of France, you could likely guess Christmas Day. But the third? If you're American, it simply wouldn't enter your mind - May Day!

Muguets by Mary Douche 2018

Why May Day?

"La Fête du Muguet" is celebrated in France much like in America, when flowers are given to loved ones.  Here, the prefered flower, muguet (Lily of the Valley), gives the Fête its name.

But why is May Day such a major holiday in France? What else is it known for?

Well, it's Labor Day here, and "Labor Day in France is always a designated day of action. Trade unions and other organizations take this day to organize marches and demonstrations to campaign for workers rights and other social issues."*

"It is, in fact, the only day of the year when employees are legally obliged to be given leave, save professions that cannot be interrupted due to their nature (such as workers in hospitals and public transport). Demonstrations and marches are a Labour Day tradition in France, where trade unions organize parades in major cities to defend workers' rights." *

It became a public holiday here in 1941. The day was chosen to commemorate a huge strike in 1886, part of the fight for an 8-hour work day. Believe it or not, this happened in Chicago - yep, America - whose Labor Day is later in the year, and is definitely not a "Day of Action."

~~~
* Quotes are from here; read these for more info:
From 2016 https://www.thelocal.fr/20160429/what-to-expect-in-france-this-may-day
From Wikipedia:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers%27_Day