Battle of the blooms: France's flower culture

FRANCE 24 English

In this edition of Entre Nous, we take a deep dive into the tradition of "La Bataille des Fleurs" or the flower parade that's part of the much-loved Nice Carnival. From mimosa blooms to pesticides, we also discuss the delights and dangers of the French flower industry.  Watch moreDutch cut flower industry in hot water over pesticides  Visit our website: http://www.france24.com  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

Transcript

00:00Something completely different for you now with our Entre-Nous segment.

00:02I'm joined on the set by Solange Mougin.

00:04Hi, Solange.

00:05Hi, Judy.

00:05As your top can attest, very springy in the air, a little tiny bit here in France.

00:10And you're going to be talking today all about flowers,

00:12from French festivals that celebrate them to the darker side of the flower industry.

00:17But let's start with something joyful first, the Battle of the Flowers.

00:20What's that?

00:21Well, unlike its name, which evokes war and competition,

00:24La Bataille des Fleurs, or the Battle of the Blooms, is actually a parade.

00:29That's part of the Nice Carnival, which runs until March 2nd.

00:32There are five Batailles des Fleurs held throughout the festivities,

00:35with floats covered in thousands of blooms,

00:37and volunteers handing out and throwing flowers to spectators.

00:41According to the organizers, 100,000 flowers and 21 tons of mimosa blooms are given out every year.

00:48It's not only one of the main attractions of Nice,

00:51but Nice was actually a precursor to many other flower parades like the ones in the U.S.

00:57In French, these flower pageants are called des Corceaux Fleuris,

01:01with corceaux referring to promenade in the Italian language.

01:05The first one was in Nice.

01:07The first one in Nice, rather, was held in 1876

01:10as a more civilized alternative to the confederate march that was going on during the carnival.

01:16Instead of flowers, they were handed out among the upper class.

01:21And from here, the tradition grew.

01:26The fragrant floats travel across the city, bringing with them a battle of blooms,

01:31the highlight of Nice's winter season, sun and flowers.

01:34That's Nice.

01:38Now, the tradition of flower pageants predates Nice's carnival.

01:42It's likely dating back to the Middle Ages with the Dutch flower festivals or the Bloemencorceaux.

01:48But it is said that the Batailles des Fleurs in Nice

01:51served as an inspiration for another well-known American parade,

01:55the Tournament of Roses, that's held every year on New Year's Day in Pasadena, California.

02:00And like with the pageant in Nice, these big shows of flowers were and are a meaning of saying,

02:06escape the winter wherever you are and come to our sunnier climates where blooms flower.

02:13That's one view of winter in the USA.

02:15Well, here's another, this time in California.

02:19Bright sunshine and blue skies accompanied the Pasadena Tournament of Roses.

02:23This is an annual event providing a very good excuse for parading pinup girls through the streets.

02:32I love that parade.

02:33All right, Solange, let's come back to France, where there are a number of flower-themed

02:37festivals, particularly in the southeastern part of France at this time of year.

02:40Yeah, at the turn of the 20th century, carnivals and festivals,

02:43they were all the rage on the Côte d'Azur.

02:45And many of these traditions continue today, with each town having their specialty.

02:50Like last week's naval battle of flowers in the port town of Villefranche-sur-Mer,

02:56where decorated boats, people on them flew through flowers to the crowds.

03:02And they have actually been doing so since 1902.

03:05There's also a famous festival, Courses aux fleuris in Bernes-les-Mimosas,

03:09which is actually named after the iconic flower of this region, the mimosa flower.

03:14But actually, this January to March bloom is not French.

03:18Even if there is a mimosa root of over 100 kilometers that goes from Bernes-les-Mimosas

03:23all the way to Grasse, the perfume city that uses quite a bit of these

03:28flowers because of the wonderful honey smell.

03:34It's in full bloom.

03:36This is the Mirandol, which is really magnificent.

03:39Like all careful mimosa growers, we plant according to different light exposure,

03:42south, east, west, to stretch out the season.

03:45But originally, mimosa is from Australia,

03:49and it was actually brought over by the explorer James Cook.

03:52Incidentally, the bright pom-pom flowers were the inspiration for hard-boiled egg recipes,

03:57mimosa eggs, but also the champagne and orange juice cocktails that many of us drink at brunch.

04:02But today, certain varieties are actually considered invasive species in Europe.

04:06Even if on the Côte d'Azur, they flourish, they create a flourishing tourism industry

04:11and draw in a lot of people in regard to the flower industry.

04:15All right, let's talk a bit more specifically about the flower industry here in France,

04:19where mimosa production is really a key part of the economy there.

04:22Yeah, the climate of the Vare and the Alpes-Maritimes region is actually perfect for

04:27growing mimosa forests.

04:30And this region is the major producer of these flowers worldwide.

04:34It is also France's number one area in regard to flower production overall.

04:39But it is just a sliver of what French people buy.

04:42Over 80% of the flowers purchased in France are grown abroad,

04:46with most coming from places like Ecuador, Colombia, and Kenya.

04:50And then they are brought through into Europe via the Netherlands.

04:53Also, many of these flowers are actually quite toxic.

04:56Not just mimosa, but all types of flowers there are toxic because of widespread pesticide use.

05:01Last year, a family raised alarm bells here in France after their daughter died

05:06from exposure to flower pesticides while she was in utero.

05:09Her mother was a florist.

05:11Her death was actually the first to be recognized by the Pesticide Victims Compensation Fund.

05:16And likewise, in addition to this, consumer wash drugs have tested flowers repeatedly,

05:22showing that over 100 different chemicals can be found on many blooms.

05:26Many of these chemicals are actually outlawed in Europe, but they still come.

05:30They're still nonetheless allowed to because of a lack of regulamentation.

05:34The UFC, which is a watchdog, found 100% of the blooms they tested,

05:40be it from supermarkets or florists, they have pesticide traces on them.

05:45And for a final bit of bad news for our Valentine's Day love of flowers,

05:49these chemicals leach into our bodies, with florists being on the front line.

05:54But not only.

05:55In 2019, a Belgian study found that the levels of pesticides in the urine of florists

05:59was higher than, say, farmers.

06:01We often talk about pesticides and farmers, but florists get them too.

06:05Many florists and consumers do not know this.

06:08But on the positive side, there are more demands for regulation,

06:11which actually don't exist like it does in addition to food and things like that.

06:16This year, the French government actually asked for an investigation to be launched

06:19into the exposure of florists to pesticides.

06:22And consumers are starting to catch on, demanding to know where their blooms come from.

06:27Because of this, a whole generation of organic farmers is blooming thanks to demand.

06:32French towns as well are boasting now the possibility of being able to do a promenade,

06:37to do a walk in town with beautiful blooms that don't use pesticides.

06:41That is so interesting, Solange.

06:42Thank you so much for that look at France's flower industry

06:45and those great parades, the flower battles.

06:47I love it.

06:47Thank you very much.

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