Cloches de Mai

Lily-of-the-valley is the eternal arrival of joy. Every year, halfway between the start of spring and the summer – on 1st May, or Labour Day –, the French exchange gifts of lily-of-the-valley. The tradition honours the legend that, in the 16th century, King Charles IX of France, having received a sprig of lily of the valley as a lucky charm, decided to offer some to the ladies of the court every spring.

This powdery bouquet arouses a feeling of nostalgia for a unique and ephemeral moment; as though the delicate white bells of the lily-of-the-valley were ringing out to announce the arrival of good news.