The Mimosa Festival, (Fête de la mimosa)
The highlights of the festival are daytime and evening parades with floats; the whole city prepares the statues of dazzling fluffy beads
Provence is a region that is worth visiting even during this period. Thanks to a mild climate, the afternoons are so hot that some courageous people already sunbathe on the beach and the hills around Nice and Cannes are yellow from flowering mimosa. Originating in Australia, mimosa was introduced to Europe in the 19th century by the British aristocrats who lived in the area and wanted to add some color to their gardens. Luckily, it still hasn’t become acclimatized; it blooms in January and February when it is summer on its native continent and so contributes to the charm of the winter French Riviera.
In 1929, it paid for it, because unexpectedly, the frost struck and almost all the trees froze.
It took two years to replace the damaged plants. To celebrate it; the inhabitants of Mandelieu la Napoule (a small city near Cannes) organized in 1931 the first Mimosa Festival. It has since been a great success and an integral part of the winter festivals of the Côte d’Azur.
When I went to see it for the first time, I accidentally found myself in the huge hangar where the sculptures for the floats were being prepared. The whole city was working, old and young together; some of them were tearing the branches into smaller pieces, others attaching them to the massive metal structures. About twelve tons of flowers are used for the decoration; you can imagine the strong and sweet scent inside the hangar...
There are plenty of events to enjoy: crowning of the Queen of the Mimosa, street performances, children’s carnival and especially daytime and evening lively parades along the seaside promenade. The allegorical floats are followed by crazy clowns, dancers, musicians, majorettes... Many of them throw yellow flowers at viewers, you will surely catch enough to compose a beautiful bouquet.
Of course, you can’t miss the local market. The French use everything that nature gives them, and they combine it with sophistication. A lot was written about their cheese but I was surprised by their sausages. Sausages with chestnuts, figs, olives, nuts, honey-lavender or blueberries (of the bluish color). I couldn’t imagine a combination of salty and sweet but the vendor explained that a fruit just gives it the right crunchiness. He joyfully cut me a small piece from each sausage and offered me to taste it, chew it and recognize their delicate nuances, I felt like a meat sommelier. He was right; the sausages were different - but awesome.
At the market, you can also buy a bouquet of mimosa. This symbol of the French Riviera is known as the ,,winter sun”. After having discovered a special powder that extended the life of the flowers to eight days; the farmers got rid of the fruit trees and devoted themselves only to the golden fluffy beads. Mimosa considerably helped the development of the local economy, it is a raw material for the production of perfumes, candles, soaps, candies and marmalades. Moreover, when a small girl picked a bouquet for her mom and hid it in the wet laundry for a night; it was discovered that flowering could be accelerated. In the morning, the branches were full of flowers. The trees quickly widespread throughout the region, the mimosa growers multiplied and today, Mandelieu la Napoule exports around 8 million bouquets a year to the world. And that's a good deal.
If you want to pick up some flowers personally, go for a walk to the largest mimosa forest in Europe. The tiny village of Tanneron is part of La Route du Mimosa (Mimosa trail) which runs for 130 km from Bormes les Mimosas to Grasse. The yellow trees surrounded by subtle scent will vault over you like a golden gate and the view from the hills around Tanneron is spectacular, in the sunny weather, you can admire the snowy Alps in the distance...
See also:
Nice Carnival
The Lemon Festival, Menton
The Violet Festival, Tourrettes sur Loup
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