Today is Labour Day all over Europe, except Switzerland, where all shops and administrations are closed. Traditionally, this flower is offered for good luck and its lovely smell.

Ahh I gotcha .. 

Well the people I passed this morning we selling them.  They looked nice and all that but i'm just the type who buys nothing from anybody, way too suspicious of people thrusting flowers towards me.

In this part of Europe, it is a tradition for men to offer the ladies in their life at least a sprig of lily-of-valley on the first of May.  My retrieval system is a bit rusty these days but I seem to remember that the custom dates from Roman times.  Perhaps someone else can confirm that.

Anyway, all the flower shops, plus Migros, Coop, etc.,  will have lily-of-the-valley on sale today, so go buy your lady love at least a small spray.  It used to be said that this had to be bought and given before mid-day, but I think any time before midnight will do now.

From what you say, John, the “beggers” have got into the act this year – rather like the way they do with “lucky white heather” in the UK.

One last word for the girls who don’t have a chap around just now, it’s perfectly acceptable for a woman to buy her own lily-of-the-valley but it is of course nicer if a man offers it.

In some places where I’ve worked, the boss has offered a spray to all the women on his staff so that no one was left out.

Happy May Day to all!

R.

In France, it's the custom to sell Lillies today, frequently done by youngsters for a bit of money.  From wikipedia:

At the beginning of the 20th century it became tradition in France to sell lily of the valley on international labour day, May 1, by labour organisations and private persons without paying sales tax (on that day only) as a symbol of spring.

More info on french Wikipedia:

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muguet_de_mai#Histoire_du_muguet_du_1er_mai

Thanks for the links.  Very useful.

However, one small correction:  the flower concerned is lily-of-the-valley or “muguet” in French.  

To be honest there is nothing traditional about strange guys bugging you to buy flowers from them. There was a guy in Geneva who spotted me and my friend walking outside of the restaurant and kept on walking with us, being all strange and offering us to buy the flowers. He wouldn't stop, he wouldn't go away ... 

Dont like it at all.

I don’t think any of the earlier posts intended to  suggest that flogging lily-of-the-valley on the first of May is a traditional activity, but it does seem that practitioners of that art have cottoned on to the fact that May Day offers yet another opportunity to pester passers-by to part with their cash.

Not so long ago, Geneva’s “flics” would have acted with alacrity on seeing any such behaviour but that was  another epoch, another world.

Selling the flowers is a long-standing tradition. Apparently the Roms have got in on the act. They

need a permit to sell them so , the police have an eye on it.

What’s the good of having an eye on something if there’s no positive follow-up?