Happy Lily of the Valley Day / Happy First of May to All!
HISTORY OF THE HOLIDAYS
There are several stories about the origin of France's May Day customs, with some going back as far as the Celtic "Tree of May" and the Renaissance's "Fête de la Terre." One widely held belief dates to the 1560s, when King Charles IX of France was presented with du muguet by a knight named Louis de Girard de Maisonforte. The king enjoyed the gift so much he began to present the ladies of his court with the flowers each year on the first of May.
The French Labor Day was inspired by an 1886 strike in Chicago, where 35,000 workers walked out of their jobs and led a national movement for an eight-hour work day. A few years later, France established their own Labor Day with the same intention. It became a paid holiday (un jour férié) in 1941.
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