Bonjour! Today (July 14) it’s Day of the Bastille – a day of great importance in French history.
Bastille Day is a celebration of French freedoms and the beginning of the French Republic.
It also falls on the day a French prison called The Bastille – a place full of people who had challenged the king or queen on socio-economic issues – was stormed during the French Revolution on July 14, 1789.
If you’re joining the festivities and aren’t really French, it’s probably a good idea to learn a little French beforehand – but whatever you do, don’t wish a Frenchman a ‘Happy Bastille Day’ as you will just confuse them.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Wishing someone a happy Bastille day in French
To wish someone a ‘Happy Bastille Day’, don’t mention Bastille at all.
Yes, the French don’t call the day Bastille Day, but refer to the date as “French National Day‘ or ‘Fete Nat‘or even a simple one’14 Juliet Day† That roughly translates as the French National Day — or July 14th holiday.
If you ask some French if they know what Bastille Day is, they will be a little confused and have no idea what you are talking about.
So if you want to greet someone, it’s best to just say ‘Happy National Day!‘ instead of.
Why isn’t it called Bastille Day in France?
There are a number of theories as to why the French don’t call the day Bastille Day.
French writer Sidonie Sawyer says this is because the date marks the beginning of the Federation of France in 1790, a year after the storming of the Bastille.
According to Frenchfor the French, the date is a day of national pride, which is why it is called ‘la Fête Nationale Française’ instead of Bastille Day.
It’s a date when the French celebrate liberté, fraternité, and égalité — as mentioned in the country’s national anthem, La Marseillaise. The day that falls on the same date as the storming of the Bastille prison is just a coincidence for them.
Calling the date “Bastille Day” seems like an American invention, Frenchly says, for Americans celebrating their French roots.
On Bastille Day in America, people eat a lot of French food and celebrate French culture so that the date has become more of a ‘French Independence Day’. And because many Independence Days around the world are tied to one event in history, the storming of the Bastille became associated with the date, explains Frenchly.
Bastille Day is named after the storming of the Bastille (a French prison) on July 14, 1789.
This prison was famous in Paris and served as a symbol of royal authority.
The decision to storm it was an important event in the French Revolution.
Bastille Day is formally known in France as La fête nationale, and more commonly as Le quatorze juillet.
What are the origins?
As with the American Revolution, the French Revolution was influenced by ideals propagated by the Enlightenment movement around the concept of inalienable rights.
This included taking back liberties and challenging the status quo.
The French were very concerned about poverty and socio-economic injustices during this period.
Tired of their concerns not being heard by those in power, by the late 1780s people gathered to speak out against the king and queen and demand new laws.
The Bastille was a prison used to hold those who challenged the King and Queen, and for many French citizens it was a symbol of royal corruption.
The storming of the Bastille began with events that eventually led to King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette being sent to the guillotine in 1793.
How is Bastille Day celebrated now?
Today, celebrations are held all over France.
French troops march down the Champs Elysees during the annual Bastille Day parade.
The largest and oldest military parade in Europe is held in the morning on the Champs-Élysées for the president, along with other officials and foreign guests.
This is a very popular event in France, and it is broadcast on French TV and attracts a large audience.
LAKE : More than 900 firefighters fight ‘mass’ forest fire in southern France
LAKE : Desperate struggle to save homes in Europe as temperatures approach 50°C. go
Follow Metro through our social channels, on facebook† Twitter and Instagram
Share your thoughts in the comments below