Today is a national holiday in France in commemoration of the storming of the Bastille prison, which took place on 14th July 1789 during the corrupt reign of King Louis XVI and marked the beginning of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a prison and a symbol of the absolute and arbitrary power of Louis XVI Ancien Régime. Even though the prison only held seven prisoners at the time, to be able to capture and storm it was a symbol of liberty. The day marked the end of absolute monarchy, the birth of the sovereign nation and later in 1792 the creation of the First Republic.

This year India is France’s guest of honour. To celebrate the day the French have organised many events all over the country.

Bastille Day Facts
Bastille is an alternate spelling of bastide: fortification.
It was not until 6th July 1880 that Bastille Day was declared a French national holiday.
It was during the French Revolution that the French flag (Le Tricolore) took shape. Its three colours blue, white and red represent the Republic’s three ideals: liberté, égalité and fraternité. The colours also represent the three main estates of the Ancien Régime: blue: bourgeoisie, white: clergy and red: nobility.
La Marseillaise was written in 1792 and declared the French national anthem in 1795.

Events in Paris
10.00am – Parade on Les Champs Elysées with 100 jets flying in formation, military brass march followed by the fire brigade from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde.
7.00pm – Free concert by French singer Johnny Hallyday at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
10.30pm Fireworks at Le Champ-de-Mars.

Events all over France
The Incredible Picnic
The largest picnic in the world (625miles) taking place across France’s 20 departments.
Fireman’s Galas
On 13th and 14th July firehouses open their doors to the general public offering live demonstrations and dancing.
The Ball of 14th July
Every town and village will have its own variation; it normally includes a dance, champagne, street entertainment, champagne and fireworks.

Tags: Bastille Day, Vive La France

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 2:12 pm and is filed under Living in France, Travel in France. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.