La Fête du Citron

A few Sundays ago, we climbed on board a very packed train heading to the last city on the French Riviera before reaching the Italian border.  This city is known as "la perle de la France", but its name that you'll find on a map of France is Menton. We were visiting this city to check out an 84-year-old celebration called "La Fête du Citron" or, in English, The Lemon Festival.

In 1934, when this festival began, Menton was the leading producer of lemons on the European Continent. The history of growing lemons in this area dates back historically to the 15th century. There is a story in the city, however, that claims it was Eve herself that planted the first lemon tree in Menton from a yellow fruit she carried from the Garden of Eden. According to this legend, Eve convinced Adam to settle in Menton after banishment, as it reminded her of their beloved lost paradise.

Today, there are 15 professional lemon growers surrounding Menton that produce 150 metric tonnes of lemons a year.  The Menton lemon is known for its irregular shape, bright golden yellow colour, sweeter taste and a peel containing more essential oil than other lemons.

Every year, the festival has a theme for its statues made of lemons and oranges in the city's "Jardins Biovés".  This year's theme, as I think you could guess taking a peek at my photos, was Broadway. 

Armed with crepes for energy, we began our tour with the "Cabaret" statue.  Can you guess the broadway inspirations for the statues below?  Check out the video on this page to see great views of them all.

We had to pay to access the secured area for the Sunday afternoon Golden Fruit Parade, but opted for the cheaper standing room only tickets. Grace had the great idea to cross over from our windy, shadowed side of the curb to the sunny side in front of the first-class seats which warmed us all up very quickly.  The french parade allows for a little more liberty as spectators could be right on the street in the midst of the action, throwing paper confetti and spraying silly string on the participants. People on the floats were also throwing confetti on the crowds from huge garbage bags, so we were covered in handfuls of it multiple times.

You could buy bags of confetti to throw, but the girls just recycled handfuls of it off of the ground.

And just in case you are wondering, as Grace was, what happens to all the citrus fruit afterwards, the oranges are sold for 50 centimes a kilo and the lemons, 30 centimes a kilo.