Culture

MAY DAY IN FRANCE: PARADES, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND LILY OF THE VALLEY MARK THIS PUBLIC HOLIDAY

May 1st is La Fête du Travail in France. As in many other countries, it is “the worker’s holiday.” It is a very important day, a public holiday in which public offices, post offices, banks, and many private businesses are closed and some public transportation schedules may follow a holiday schedule. Parades and demonstrations to champion workers’ rights typically cause congestion and delays in traffic in metropolitan... [...]

THE FRENCH LAUNDRY THAT HANGS IN LOURMARIN

French laundry conjures up all sorts of images. For my friend and fellow-blogger, David Scott Allen, visions of delectable meals from Thomas Keller’s famous restaurant surface…things like Creamy Maine Lobster Broth and English Pea Soup with White Truffle Oil and Parmesan Crisps.

For my friend, Betsy Tabor with whom I have been exchanging gifts, poems, and postcards about laundry for years now —both French and American and, come to think of it, Burkina Fasoian, too—I thought she would say it’s about that crisp fresh smell that emanates from clothes left to dry outdoors. However, when I called to inquire what images popped into her mind when thinking of... [...]

EASTER IN PROVENCE MARKS THE START OF BULLFIGHTING

La Feria Corridas—the bullfighting festival—is so firmly ingrained in the Easter traditions of the Camarague area that, in this south western area of Provence, “Feria,” which means “festival,” seems to be synonymous, this time of year, with both Easter and bullfighting. In the main bullfighting arenas—Arles and Nîmes—as well as in the many small towns that set up temporary arenas, Easter weekend marks the start of bullfighting... [...]
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