A little bit on French history: Commemorating the storming of the Bastille on 14th July 1789, Bastille Day takes place on the same date each year. The main event is a grand military parade along the Champs-Élysées, attended by the President of the Republic and other political leaders. It is accompanied by fireworks and publics dances in towns throughout the whole of France.
On the morning of 14th July, the people of Paris took weapons and headed towards the old royal fortress of Bastille. It was seized following bloody gunfire, and the prisoners released…. All seven of them!
On 14th July 1790, the demolition of the fortress of Bastille was completed and 260,000 Parisians, celebrated the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. Known as the Fête de la Fédération, it celebrated the short-lived success of the constitutional monarchy.
The 14th July was declared as a national holiday by law 6th July 1880. Emphasis is placed on the patriotic and military nature of the celebration…..14th July has officially been the French Bastille Day since 1880. For the French, it symbolises the end of absolute monarchy and the beginning of the Republic. Dances and fireworks conclude the day.
To celebrate, I have baked un Far Breton!
