Muguet

When I see—and smell!—the lily-of -the-valley blooming in my garden, I’m transported to my childhood in France. There May Day is a holiday, and though most associate it with the rights of workers, it’s also the “Fête du Muguet” (muguet being the French word for the flower). Giving muguet to loved ones on May 1 is a tradition throughout France. Where I grew up in the Loire Valley, the flower grew abundantly. I would hunt it in the woods surrounding our house and make a bouquet to bring to my mother. Now you can buy bouquets of muguet in florists, grocery stores, and the street corners of most French cities in the week leading up to the holiday. I continue to honor the tradition by picking a bunch on May Day. Nothing perfumes a room like muguet!