The national holidays in May in France

The month of May is always an exciting time in France with the beginning of warmer weather, Labor Day celebrations, la Fête du Muguet and a host of other holidays.

• May is when temperatures really start to warm up in France. “Avril, ne te découvre pas d’un fil; mai, fais ce qu’il te plaît!” is French for: “April showers bring May flowers.” (Literally: In April, better keep your warm clothes on; in May, do as you like!)

• May 1st is a national holiday, the French equivalent of Labor Day, or la Fête du Travail. Most everything is closed except for restaurants, churches, and some museums and monuments such as the Eiffel Tower. Limited public transportation may be running; however, you just might have trouble reaching your destination due to street demonstrations. Better take to the streets yourself and join the celebrations for workers’ rights (or whatever cause you may fancy!)

• May 1st is also known as la Fête du Muguet, or Lily of the Valley Day. Mais pourquoi? Well, according to legend, King Charles IX received a bunch of these sweet-smelling flowers on May 1st, 1561, as a good luck charm. Ever since, it is traditional for family, friends and neighbors to exchange a small sprig as a goodwill gesture. You may find lily-of-the valley growing naturally in woods and gardens in France, but don’t worry: vendors will be selling bunches of the flower on every street corner.Other May holidays include: May 8th, la Fete de la Victoire which commemorates the end of World War II, the Catholic holidays of Ascension and Pentecost, and finally, Mother’s Day, which always falls on the last Sunday of the month.

• If you’re in France during this month, you’ll get to learn the idiomatic expression “faire le pont” (literally, “make the bridge”) which refers to the time taken off on days surrounding a national holiday, exemplifying the French passion for extra leisure time. For example, this year’s May 1 Fete du Travail falls on a Tuesday. Many businesses will close on Monday April 30 to “faire le pont” until Wednesday and make an extra long weekend of it. Ditto for Thursday, May 17, the Ascension: many businesses will close on Friday, May 18 for another long weekend. Sometimes, there are so many “ponts” during the month of May that it’s really more like “faire le viaduc!”