Lacy Adorante Mary Downing French Historical Moment Essay Le premiere decembre 2013 Bastille Day: La Fte de la Fdration

One of the most recognizable holidays for the French culture is that of Bastille Day, known in French as La Fte de la Fdration. This holiday resembles the American celebrations surrounding the Fourth of July, which is called Independence Day. Bastille Day represents just that, the beginning of independence for the French during such a dark time in their history, The French Revolution. July 14, 1789 marks the date in the history of France where the holiday stems. On this day, a group of angry, passionate citizens gathered to try first to obtain all the weapons that were stored inside The Bastille. When their advances were denied, the crowd took over the prison successfully. The total of seven prisoners held inside were released as well. The group stormed the prison, and it was taken over by force. This event in French history is marked as the incident that spurred the beginning of the French Revolution. The significance of this event in France may seem to fall out of focus, but this is not the case. This is one of the most important single events in all of French history. The details behind the Bastille itself are important for understanding the importance of the occurrence. The Bastille originated as an early castle, but it was transformed eventually into a state facility for guilty persons stated so by the government of France. This ancient prison was even used during the 16th Century

rule of King Louis. Even though the prison was not used regularly, the building itself was a symbol of the tyrannical rule of the Bourbon Monarchs. This initiated the anger and intense feelings in the people of the mob who attacked The Bastille in 1789. This event in the French history reflects on all the people of France and other Francophone countries even today. Many years after the physical storm of the prison, the culture of the French decided to make July 14, 1789 a national historic holiday. In the year 1878, somewhere at the end of the month of June, the commemorations began in France unofficially. On July 6, 1880 the government made the choice to make the 14th of July an official day of celebration in the French culture. Finally, on July 14, 1880 France celebrated the first certified holiday remembering the day almost one hundred years before that a group of rebels stormed The Bastille and activated the French Revolution. Since the 1880s, the French have continued to celebrate and rejoice on every 14th of July each year. As mentioned before, similar to the American Independence Day, the French observe this holiday as a festival for freedom, as well. There are many events that take place on the holiday, but the main event centers on a parade. The parade is held on the Champs-lyses in Paris. The military men and women of the country in all segments join the current president of France to parade on the main street as planes, helicopters, and other military aircraft fly above the people of Paris. Other events occur on this holiday, such as: firework shows, plenty of food consumption, and personal parties. During the proceedings of the day, just as July 4th is celebrated in America, the colors red, white, and blue are a good

representation of both countries independence and freedom. The blue, white, and red are on the French flag, which is seen as the main symbol of the Freedom of the Republic of France, which is why Bastille Day is celebrated in France still today.

Works Cited Bastille Day. encyclopediabritannica.com. Encyclopedia Britannica, Incorporated, 2013. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. Bastille Day in France. timeanddate.com. Time and Date AS, 1995-2013. Web. 1 Dec. 2013 Lawless, Laura K. Bastille Day. about.com: French Language Education. About.com, 2013. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.