France Bastille Day - also known as the country's national day - is celebrated every year on July 14 with military parades and fireworks. The national holiday marks the fall of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. On this day, the traditional military parade on the Champs-Elysées is a “meticulously planned spectacle, and dancing and fireworks displays or special illuminations are organized all over the country.”
Bastille Day history:
During the early months of the French Revolution, Paris was in a state of high agitation as the Estates-General refused to dissolve, transforming itself instead into a constituent National Assembly. In July 1789, King Louis XVI called in fresh troops and dismissed his popular minister Jacques Necker.
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Later, on the morning of July 14, the people of Paris seized weapons from the armory at the Invalides and marched in the direction of an ancient Royal fortress - Bastille. After several rounds of firing, the crowd broke into the Bastille and released some prisoners.
The storming of Bastille was the first victory of the country against a symbol of the "Ancien Régime" (Old Regime). On July 14, 1790, the day was first celebrated with grandeur.
{{/usCountry}}The storming of Bastille was the first victory of the country against a symbol of the "Ancien Régime" (Old Regime). On July 14, 1790, the day was first celebrated with grandeur.
{{/usCountry}}In July 1880, a deputy for the Seine department Benjamin Raspail had declared the day to be a national holiday.
After the austerity of the 1914-18 war, July 14 1919 was a great victory celebration and in 1945, it was preceded by three days of civic rejoicing.
Bastille Day celebrations:
The Bastille Day is celebrated with great grandeur every year. However, according to the ministry of Europe and foreign affairs - France diplomacy, the successive Presidents of the Fifth Republic have modified the day’s events. Stating an example, it said that in order to restore the tradition of revolutionary Paris, President Giscard d’Estaing re-routed the military parade, marching the troops from the Place de la Bastille to the Place de la République. Starting in 1980, however, the parade returned to the Champs-Elysées.
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In 1994, German soldiers serving in the Eurocorps took part in the parade on the Champs-Elysées - symbolizing the reconciliation between the two nations. But, in 2007, soldiers from 27 European countries participated in the parade for the first time. In 2009, Indian soldiers were invited to take part in the ceremonies and the military parade was opened by a contingent of 400 members of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. In 2010, fourteen African countries participated in the parade as part of celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of their independence.