Flea Market
A Flea Market is: A market, usually held outdoors, where antiques, used household goods, and curios are sold so says Wikipidea.
Every Sunday in our town, May thru September, there is a flea market. It's fun to walk the bazaars in search of anything attractive. I remember last year I found a Panga (machete) not for use in Kenyan elections gone awry but for landscaping around the yard. So when it opened last week, we took a stroll after church. It got me thinking, why is it called a flea market?
I did some reading and found out that the original flea market is likely to be the Marché aux puces of Saint-Ouen, Seine-Saint-Denis, in the northern suburbs of Paris. It is a large, long-established outdoor bazaar, one of four in Paris. They earned their name from the flea-infested clothing and rags sold there. From the late 17th century, the makeshift open-air market in the town of Saint-Ouen began as temporary stalls and benches among the fields and market gardens where ragpickers exchanged their findings for a small sum.
So next time you get to go to a flea market, there is a slight chance that the flea is part of the market. How about that?
"About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing" Matt 20:3
2 comments:
I've been to the largest flea market in Paris. I can't remember its name but it was north of the city.
It's exactly like Gikomba stalls, only that they don't sell mitumba. Instead, they have a wide variety of fake shoes and clothing. I don't recall buying anything.
You're right Ssem, most flea markets have a lot of fake goods!
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