Lily of the Valley

Saturday
Seeing Lily of the Valley always reminds me of May 1st in our days in France, where it is traditional to give Lily of the valley, or “Muguet”in French, to friends or family, as a token of affection. Ever since the Middle Ages Europeans living on the Celtic fringe have considered the Lily of the Valley a lucky charm, but in France, the tradition of giving lily of the valley flowers on May 1 is said to have begun in 1560, when knight Louis Girard presented King Charles IX with a bunch of the flowers as a token of luck and prosperity for the coming year. It is said that the King took a shine to the idea and began the custom of presenting lily-of-the-valley flowers to the ladies of his court each year on the same day. In the days leading up to the date, roadside stands selling “Muguet” will pop up everywhere. While it’s normally forbidden to sell flowers on public streets, the ban is lifted on May 1 in honor of this long-standing tradition.
It has had significance for other countries too. It became Finland's national flower in 1967, and was the floral emblem of Yugoslavia. The flower is also often used in wedding bouquets, Queen Victoria, Grace Kelly, and Kate Middleton all used the white, bell-shaped buds in their wedding bouquets. What I hadn’t realized was that the plant is poisonous if ingested, causing abdominal pain, blurred vision, drowsiness, and reduced heart rate. The lily of the valley in our garden grow well in the deep shade at the side of the house.
My allergies/sinus were really bothering me today, and I didn’t feel very energetic, but we did venture out in the afternoon for a gentle walk around the lake at Sharon Woods.

Step count: 7,783