Learn about the long weekends of May in France and the meaning of “faire le pont” and discover a charming French tradition involving lily-of-the-valley.
Traveling in May in France is usually a bit complicated. We have many French holidays, and many extended weekends since the French “font le pont” – they will take an extra day off when there is only one day separating a holiday from a weekend, and therefore have a “long weekend”.
We also have a strange French tradition for May 1st…
May 1st : Labor Day, May Day and Lily of the valley day in France
May 1st is Labor Day in France. So it’s a holiday, and people don’t work and most shops are closed.
Except florists!
Time to tell you about “Le Muguet” (Lilly of the valley). On May 1st, it’s the tradition to give to women a sprig of lily of the valley for luck 🍀.
Well, most people give a bunch, a small bouquet, or a live plant that you can then plant in your garden. It’s now fashionable to also mix a couple of stands of lily of the valley with a rose…
Un délicat brin de muguet pour du bonheur toute l’année. A delicate sprig of lily of the valley for happiness all year long.Click to Post
When I was much younger, kids would go pick some in the woods, and sell them on the streets. On that day, everybody is allowed to sell lily-of-the-valley anywhere, even door-to-door, without any kind of permit. It’s called “la vente à sauvette” – selling on the run – and nowadays lots of people still do it – but the flower is usually bought and sold with a profit with flower growers.
More info about lily-ot-the-valley and this French tradition on wikipedia (in French)
May Holidays in France
There are many holidays in May in France:
- May 1st is Labor Day (la fête du travail).
- May 8th is the end of WW2 in Europe (VE day).
- In May, we have a Christian holiday, l’Ascension (this year Thursday the 9th), when Christians celebrate the day Jesus Christ reborn ascended to the Heavens.
- Then, we sometimes have another Christian holiday” la Pentecôte” is celebrated 40 days after “Pâques” (Easter), which is usually sometimes in May – May 19th this year.
It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ.
What Does “Faire le Pont” Mean in French?
Now all these wouldn’t be too bad if the French didn’t have this habit of “faire le pont” – literally “to do the bridge.”
“Faire le pont” means that when a holiday is on a Tuesday or a Thursday, the day which links over to the the weekend is also off for the employees (who still get paid).
This year you’ll see a typical bridge between Thursday May 9th (l’Ascension) “bridging” over Friday the 10th, to extend the break over the week-end. So people will not work from Wednesday the 8th (VE day) to Sunday the 12th, enjoying a five day break.
This being said, the break can be extended over two days: for example this year, a lot of people are not going to work from Wednesday May 1st to Sunday May 5th “bridging” over Thursday and Friday…
This affects schools (read more about the French school system here) and other institutions including banks, museums, most offices, small boutiques. Most supermarkets are open but only for a few hours. You can imagine that the month of May is not a good one for the French economy…
“how much does it cost? (to the economy)“
“A bag of coal, a pack of beer, lamb sausages, skewers…”
Image credits: Ouest France
Watch Out For Extended May Weekends in France
Of course “les ponts du mois de mai” have a tremendous influence on the price of train tickets and the traffic on the roads. You can count on major traffic jams!
Another big celebration in May in France is Mothers’ day! Mothers’ day is the last Sunday in May in France. Follow the link to my article with Mothers’ day in France: traditions and vocabulary.
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20 Useful Words & Phrases in May in France
If you are in France in the month of my, this vocabulary will come in handy!
- Le mois de mai
May, pronounced just like “mais” (but) in French - Le muguet
Lily-of-the-valley – More French flower names with audio recordings. - Un brin de muguet
A twig, a sprig of lily-of-the-valley - Un bouquet de muguet
A bouquet, a bunch of lily-of-the-valley - Un pot de muguet
A pot of lily-of-the-valley - Vendre “à la sauvette”
Literally, to sell as if you were escaping: to sell without a permit. - Offrir du muguet
To give some lily-of-the-valley - Un porte-bonheur
A good luck charm - Joyeux Premier Mai
Happy May Day - Voici un brin de muguet. J’espère qu’il vous portera bonheur.
Here is a spring of lily-of-the-valley. May I bring you happiness. - Un brin de muguet ; du bonheur toute l’année.
A sprig of lily of the valley: happiness all through the year. - Le muguet porte bonheur pour toute l’année et plus encore.
Lily of the valley is a good luck charm for all the year and even more. - Santé et bonheur pour cette année.
Health and happiness for this year. - Voici un peu de muguet de mon jardin.
Here is a bit of lily-of-the-valley from my garden. - Merci ! Comme c’est gentil de votre part !
Thank you! How nice of you – more ways to say thank you in French. - Comme c’est joli ! Que ça sent bon !
How pretty! It smells so nice! - Joyeuse fête du travail !
Happy Labor Day - Joyeuse fête des mères !
Happy Mother’s Day - Est-ce que vous faites le pont de la Pentecôte ?
Are you having an extended weekend around La Pentecôte? - Je vais profiter du pont pour partir en vacances.
I’ll take advantage of the long weekend to go on vacation.
Mai Traditions in France Video
A neighbour of mine kindly gave me access to his garden in Paimpol, Brittany so I could film this video. You can turn the subtitles in French (checked by me) and English with the CC option located to the bottom right of the video (CC and gear).
Could you understand me? I’d love to know what you think: please leave a comment!
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