Bastille Day
July 14
Long live France!
This French family is putting up colorful pennants in preparation for
Bastille Day.
In France, July 14 means much the same as July 4 does in the United
States. It’s a national holiday, when everyone celebrates the country’s
independence. The French call this holiday Bastille Day, or Fete
Nationale.
In Paris, France, on July 14, 1789, a ragged mob swept through the
streets shouting for justice. The men and women were on their way to the
Bastille, a prison that once was a fort.
The Bastille stood for all that was evil in France. Under the king, the
rich paid no taxes on land and lived in luxury. The poor were heavily
taxed, and often hungry and starving. If anyone spoke up about the
unfairness, that person was thrown into the Bastille and forgotten.
But on that memorable day in July, the mob rose up in anger. They
stormed the Bastille, killed the guards, and freed the prisoners. The
next day they began to tear down the hated prison, stone by stone.
It was the beginning of the French Revolution. The people of France
wanted their freedom, and the chance to be treated as equals.
The joyful celebration of Bastille Day begins the night before with a
torchlight parade. At daybreak, cannons announce the arrival of the new
day. There are parades, games, speeches, and shows.
The Bastille Day parade in Paris is an exciting event. The huge
memorial in the distance is the Arc de Triomphe. France’s Unknown
Soldier of World War I is buried there.
At night, public buildings and fountains are lighted. Fireworks burst in
the sky. And the people dance in the streets until dawn, just as they
did long ago on the first Bastille Day.
