Every country has its national day. In the case of Spain, it is celebrated on October 12, but if we look at other nations, we may know the date of its day but not why, as is the case in France, so now we are going to offer you all the details about the day. National Day of France: when is it, what is its history and how is it celebrated.
National Day of France: when is it
The taking of the bastille on July 14, 1789 is the act that is commemorated in el National Day of France so said day It is celebrated every July 14.
A) Yes, Every July 14, a national holiday is celebrated throughout France, commemorating the storming of the Bastille, but not only that, but also in some way the rise and beginning of the French Revolution is commemorated to change the course of the history of this country.
National Day of France: what is its history
It was in the year 1789 when France experienced an economic crisis in unprecedented. To aggravate the difficulty of the period there were several factors: a bad harvest that undermined the livelihood of the people, particularly onerous taxes, the presence of foreign armies in the service of King Louis XV, not forgetting the great social tensions. On June 20 of the same year, a Assembly in which the representatives of the clergy and nobility had opposed the electoral reform proposed by those of the third estate, it went down in history as the so-called Ballgame Oath. The representatives, in fact, had promised to remain united in drafting a constitution.
At that time, the Bastille an old fortress, had been transformed into a political prison . The air of the Revolution grew stronger among the people who broke into the prison on the morning of July 14, around ten o’clock in the morning, murdering the director who was taking a condemned man to the Hôtel de Ville (now the central town hall) to be executed. The surrender of the Bastille came seven hours later, but to their great surprise the revolutionaries found only seven prisoners inside.
July 14, 1790
A year later, another page in the history of France in general and Paris in particular was produced. During this date the feast of the Federation , so beloved by conservatives, that it celebrated the rediscovered balance, or the birth of a constitutional monarchy promoted by General La Fayette . Despite the great celebration, which the people attended en masse, the truce with the royal family, who would be beheaded soon after, was short-lived.
The act, somehow, wanted to erase from the common memory that first revolutionary air that had given life to the assault on the Bastille the previous year.
Then, Why is France celebrated on July 14? The current party was established in 1880 and the date fell on July 14 to proposal of the deputy Benjamín Raspail who saw in the two events that had occurred on this date (although in different years) two significant proofs of the union of the French people. The date was then chosen, as the day on which the national holiday is celebrated, due to its dual significance.
National Day of France: how it is celebrated
The French National Day party is, as it could not be otherwise, the most important of all those celebrated in France. In this way in Paris, as in all French municipalities, the party includes a parade in the morning down the Champs-Élysées, where soldiers parade and the tricolor arrows are recreated in a show of aerial acrobatics. In general, in the parade political figures are present (including the President of the Republic) and eminent personalities.
When the sun goes down, the real party begins, the one that brings everyone together, united by the pleasure of admiring the only Fireworks of the year organized by the municipalities. In Paris, the Champs de Mars , or the lawn at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, are already filled with people at lunchtime, but in addition to this show there is also the music of the Radio France orchestra and the animations that mark the weather.
A quite crowded type of celebration that, on the other hand, cannot be celebrated as such last year due to pandemic and that this 2021 will be reduced again since the SarsCOV-2 virus that has affected us worldwide has not yet been eradicated.
However, this does not mean that on July 14, 2021 the National Day of France It will not be an important day and everything indicates that there will be a fireworks show, despite the fact that many French people will choose to see it from their homes since the special lighting that has been programmed for the Eiffel Tower can be seen on television without any problem. some.
In the grass in front of the historic building of l’hôtel des Invalides it will be possible to make a picnic and see the fireworks, since all accesses will be controlled and the crowd will be smaller, but people will be asked not to move from the space they occupy and to wear a mask.
Always close to the Tower, aware of the presence of people, you can choose to see everything from there.to Trocadéro terrace , another point that is usually crowded. On the other hand, the skyscraper Tour of Montparnasse or the staircase at the base of the Sacred Heart in Montmartre become viewpoints every July 14 and it seems that this year will also have that possibility again.
Although perhaps the more relaxed way to celebrate the 14th of July is a cruise on the Seine and admire the fireworks from the river or also, a place that few people usually visit but that is perfect to watch the show in a quiet way. We refer to the Belleville viewpoint, since the open view of the city allows you to fully enjoy the fireworks display.