Published on 01/05/2024 16:31
Video length: 2 min
May 1: in Strasbourg, the tradition of lily of the valley continues
This is the great tradition of May 1st: the sale of lily of the valley almost everywhere in the streets. It’s the day of the year when everyone can become a seller, on one condition: that the lily of the valley sprigs come from the garden or have been picked in the forest.
(France 2)
This is the great tradition of May 1st: the sale of lily of the valley almost everywhere in the streets. It’s the day of the year when everyone can become a seller, on one condition: that the lily of the valley sprigs come from the garden or have been picked in the forest.
Due to Labor Day, most stores have closed their doors, but there are still a few pop-up shops. At 28, Guillaume Vignolle got up early to continue a childhood habit. “I sold lily of the valley when I was 15”, he remembers. Success is guaranteed with passers-by.
May 1 is the only day of the year when street vending is tolerated by law. At the foot of Strasbourg Cathedral (Bas-Rhin), the competition is tough. The rush for lily of the valley also happens in the forest. In the north of Alsace, pickers follow one another. Picking is often a family tradition and succession seems assured. “From the age of 10, 11, we would collect this in the woods to make a little money and go to the funfair afterwards”, says Vincent Staut, a picker. Lily of the valley, with its freshness and white bells, is an ever-popular ephemeral flower.
