May Day …

Yesterday was a public holiday in France , la Fête du Travail, one of three this month. Many villages and towns held marchés and repas  (a community lunch) to celebrate. In our region, Aquitaine, it is traditional  to share an omelette à l’aillet at this lunch. Aillet is a type of garlic that is only grown in this area at this time of year – it looks like shallots.

At first I thought these were shallots

Apparently, eating these aillets on May Day ensures your good health throughout the summer. Probably because historically, there was a prevalence of diseases in the hot summers here and ,without modern medicines ,they had to rely on the antiseptic qualities of garlic. 

Yummm

In Bergerac they made an omelette with 2,000 eggs !

No worries about health inspectors - he's probably stirring

It is also the time for le muguet, or lily of the valley as it’s known elsewhere. This has been for sale in the marchés for the past couple of weeks, and it’s said that if you are given a bouquet of this  then you are loved. Perhaps tomorrow.

Sweet little posies at the markets for a euro or two

As I mentioned, there are three public holidays this month, all of them on a Thursday. It is the custom in France that, when there is a day between a holiday and the weekend, many people take the day between as well. This is called le pont (the bridge). So lots of people won't be at work today , or any Friday in May. You can never accuse a frenchman of putting work ahead of life.

Lilas (lilac) from our garden

Bon week-end mes amis