Today is an exciting day for Francophiles around the world: Bastille Day. Having just spent time in France, I wanted to learn more about this holiday and the history behind it.Bastille Day became an official French holiday in 1880, but the reason for the holiday happened several years prior. On the morning of July 14, 1789, citizens of the country stormed the Bastille prison in Paris, overturning the absolute--and arbitary--power of King Louis XVI. This event marked the start of the French Revolution, forever changing the way France was governed. As the French Embassy notes on its website, by storming the Bastille, the citizens of France were stating that "the king's power was no longer absolute: power should be based on the Nation and be limited by a separation of powers."
The French flag came about during this time, and was created to
represent the French Republic's three ideals: "Liberty, Equality and
Fraternity" for all French citizens.
Today, Bastille Day is celebrated all around the world through parades, food and fireworks, with the biggest celebration off the Champs-Elysées in Paris. This particular year, France is playing host to a group of Indian soldiers, and celebrating the 120th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower.
You can help celebrate the holiday by joining a local celebration, eating French food, or even just wishing a French friend a happy Bastille Day by saying "Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!"
To learn more about the history of the French Revolution and Bastille Day, visit the cultural services of the French Embassy. Feel like reveling in French culture? Choose from among the many France-inspired titles on from our Ultimate Travel Library, check out our Places of a Lifetime guide to Paris and our Free Paris guide, and view more pictures of Paris and southern France from our photo galleries.
How do you plan to celebrate Bastille Day?
Photo: Catherine Karnow, from the March 2008 issue of Traveler
Today, Bastille Day is celebrated all around the world through parades, food and fireworks, with the biggest celebration off the Champs-Elysées in Paris. This particular year, France is playing host to a group of Indian soldiers, and celebrating the 120th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower.
You can help celebrate the holiday by joining a local celebration, eating French food, or even just wishing a French friend a happy Bastille Day by saying "Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!"
To learn more about the history of the French Revolution and Bastille Day, visit the cultural services of the French Embassy. Feel like reveling in French culture? Choose from among the many France-inspired titles on from our Ultimate Travel Library, check out our Places of a Lifetime guide to Paris and our Free Paris guide, and view more pictures of Paris and southern France from our photo galleries.
How do you plan to celebrate Bastille Day?
Photo: Catherine Karnow, from the March 2008 issue of Traveler
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I celebrated Bastille Day by writing about delicious macarons on my blog and attending a fabulous Bastille Day celebration at Cafe Alsace here in Atlanta which featured delicious mussels and duck legs. Lovely!
I have found some really useful tips for Paris (http://iwannagothere.com/fr/paris)
Hope it's helful for you too :)
"It's a great day for the French," says Emile Assan, a Paris businessman. "It's the revolution. We attacked the jail, liberated the prisoners, and got rid of the king."
Apart from Bastille day there an another fun national event called Paris Plage! they put sand along the Seine and it's just like a beach... not that it's an important national event... but it's an event...US National Park Pictures