Bastille Day: how a national holiday is celebrated in Paris. How is Bastille Day celebrated in France?

(National holiday - fr. La Fête Nationale or Day of July 14 - fr. Le Quatorze Juillet) - is the national day of the French Republic and is celebrated annually on July 14th. The historical event that became the basis for the establishment of the holiday occurred during the French Revolution - on July 14, 1789, the rebellious Parisians stormed the fortress-prison. This event is considered the beginning of the French Revolution, as well as a symbol of the overthrow of absolutism.

Story. The Bastille is a fortress on the outskirts of Saint-Antoine, the western district of Paris, which was supposed to serve as a fortification on the outskirts of the capital. It was erected in 1382, expanded and strengthened in the XVI and in XVII centuries. Under King Louis XV (1710-1774), it acquired the reputation of a royal prison, the prisoners of which disappeared forever in underground casemates. The Bastille became a symbol of the omnipotence of kings and their entourage, who had the right, without any trial or investigation, for religious or political reasons, or because of palace intrigues, to throw any person into prison. For 400 years of existence, among the prisoners of the fortress were famous people: writer Francois de La Rochefoucauld, playwright Pierre de Beaumarchais, was twice a prisoner of the fortress French writer Voltaire. By the 1780s, the prison had practically ceased to be used.

On July 13, 1789, the Arsenal, Les Invalides and the city hall were plundered by the rebels, and the next day an armed mob approached the Bastille. At the time of the assault, there were seven prisoners in the fortress; its capture became the starting point for the beginning of the French Revolution.

The garrison of the fortress consisted of 82 veterans (fr. Invalides) and 32 Swiss. After the refusal of the commandant of the Bastille, the Marquis de Launay, to voluntarily surrender the fortress, the rebels launched an assault at noon. Easily penetrating into the first outer courtyard and cutting with axes the chains that held the bridge, they entered the second courtyard, where the apartments of the commandant and the garrison were located. Fierce shooting began.

The commandant of the Bastille, the Marquis de Launay, realizing that the garrison could not resist the siege for a long time, decided to blow up the Bastille. The defenders of the fortress prevented the commandant from carrying out his threat to blow up the fortress and finally lowered the drawbridge. The crowd poured into the courtyard. The Bastille has fallen.

Nowadays, on the site of the Bastille, there is a large traffic circle - an interchange with the Bastille Column in the center.

Celebration. One of the most beloved French holidays is July 14 - Bastille Day. The holiday was established on July 6, 1880. The text of the resolution does not refer to a specific historical date. In justification and during the debate, the holiday was associated with the Fête de la Fédération, which took place in 1790 - the first anniversary of the capture of the fortress-prison of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, during the Great French Revolution, as well as with the assault itself as a symbol of the overthrow absolutism.

Celebrations and official ceremonies are held throughout France. The official program of the celebration provides for a series of balls: firemen's balls, the Big Ball, which takes place on July 13 in the Tuileries Garden.

The oldest and largest parade in Europe is held on the morning of July 14 on the Champs Elysees in Paris in the presence of the President of the Republic, officials and foreign guests. The parade starts at 10 am from Place de l'Etoile and moves towards the Louvre. The cadets open the parade, followed by other infantry and motorized units, accompanied by aviation. Units from France's allied countries are traditionally invited to the parade. On the Place de la Concorde, opposite the Arc de Triomphe, special places for spectators were erected. Most major cities France are parades and military ceremonies. In Lyon, the parade is traditionally held on July 13th.

In the Elysee Palace, the president hosts a reception. Official celebrations on this day may not particularly impress the traveler, but the fun with which people celebrate this day leaves an impression for a long time - there are parties everywhere (often even just on the streets), points.

The festival ends with a big fireworks display. eiffel tower on the field of Mars. The pyrotechnic performance usually starts at 10 pm. On this day, salutes and fireworks shimmer over many cities in France.

The famous Bastille began to be built in 1370 during the reign of Charles V the Wise of the Valois dynasty. Construction was completed in 1381 under his son and successor Charles VI the Mad. It is unlikely that both kings could have imagined that the fortress, which over time began to be perceived as a stronghold of the French monarchy, would become a symbol of its collapse in four centuries.

However, this is exactly what happened, and all because the Bastille turned from a defensive fortification into an odious prison. Its prisoners were the architect Hugo Aubrio, Bishop Guillaume de Horacourt, Duke Jacques d'Armagnac-Nemours. Well, how many dissenters the powerful Cardinal Richelieu kept in the dungeons could not be counted at all. By the end of the 18th century, the patience of the French people began to come to an end ...

How did the march to the Bastille begin?

In the spring and summer of 1789, events began in the country that led to fundamental changes in the political and social system states and destroyed the monarchy along with its orders. They were called the French Revolution. The storming of the Bastille and the capture of the sinister fortress-prison became one of the key episodes of the popular uprising.

The starting point of the assault was the speech of the lawyer, journalist and revolutionary Camille Desmoulins on July 12 at the Palais Royal, the residence of the French kings (located opposite the north wing of the Louvre). It was he who initiated the march on the Bastille on July 14, 1789, the storming of which became the beginning of the revolution. The day before, the revolutionary masses had sacked the city hall of Paris, Les Invalides, and the Arsenal.

The armed attack on the Bastille was led by the royal generals Pierre-Augustin Gülen and Jacob Job Elie, who had gone over to the side of the rebels. Compared to the large armed crowd, the garrison of the fortress looked pathetic. It consisted of 32 Swiss and 82 ... disabled people. The first, however, were armed with 13 guns. The only hope was for drawbridges and massive walls.

Events after the refusal of the garrison to surrender

True, the people at first offered surrender, but the commandant of the Bastille, the Marquis de Launay, refused. Then the revolutionaries around 13:00 began the assault. They occupied the first outer courtyard without difficulty. Then they cut the chains of the drawbridge with axes and occupied the second courtyard. He was the heart of the Bastille: here were the commandant and all his services. Both sides began to fire fiercely at each other.

Ordinary people found a way to protect themselves from the shots: they set fire to three large wagons of straw and hid behind thick smoke. De Launay understood that he could not resist the assault on his own, and Versailles was unlikely to send reinforcements. What to do? The commandant decides to blow up the Bastille, in which, by the way, then there were only seven prisoners: one murderer, four counterfeiters and two mentally ill.

White flag and ... a head like a trophy

But the idea failed: when the commandant descended into the powder magazine with a lit wick in his hand, non-commissioned officers Ferran and Bekar intercepted him. Having neutralized the failed arsonist, they forced him to convene a military council and announce surrender. The white flag was raised and the drawbridge lowered. On it, the revolutionaries marched victoriously into the courtyard of the fortress-prison.

The victors hanged several soldiers and officers of the garrison. The fate of de Launay was also unenviable, although Elie and Gulen wanted to save his life. But the enraged crowd on the way to the city hall recaptured the commandant from their commanders, beheaded him, and stuck the head of the unfortunate man on a pike. With this bloody trophy as a symbol of their victory, the revolutionaries then went around the whole city.

Bastille Day became a holiday

After the assault, the authorities of Paris decided to raze the fortress to the ground. The Bastille was demolished by the Parisians within two months. A sign was put up in the wasteland with the inscription “They dance here, and everything will be fine!” In 1780, her stones were used to complete the construction of the Louis XVI bridge (now the Pont de la Concorde). Now its place and the area to the east is occupied by Place de la Bastille, the center of which is crowned by the July Column.

Exactly one hundred years later, Bastille Day was proclaimed a national holiday in France. This date is celebrated not only in the republic itself, but throughout the world. After all, the siege and assault on the symbol of royal despotism entered the history of mankind as one of the most notable events. Meanwhile, the name of the former fortress acquired a nominal meaning, symbolizing oppression and violation of freedoms.

The holiday surpasses even New Year, although over 200 years its revolutionary spirit has been transformed. The French celebrate not so much the date of the storming of the Bastille as something patriotic, full of greatness, joy and pride in their country and its people. An official celebration program is compiled annually, which includes a number of secular and military events.

On the eve of July 13, the Grand Ball takes place in the Tuileries Garden. There are also firemen's balls organized by them in their divisions, and other balls throughout the city. On July 14, a military parade takes place on the Champs Elysees, which accompanies the formation of jet aircraft from the air. It starts at 10:00 from the Arc de Triomphe and moves to Place de la Concorde. Takes the parade of the President of France.

On the square, directly opposite the arch, there are places for spectators. The culmination of the holiday is a grand fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower and fireworks on the Champs de Mars. The pyrotechnic performance usually starts at 22:00. The official program of celebrations is somewhat modest, but ordinary people celebrate all day long - at home, in clubs, discos, parties and just on the streets.

Bastille Day is a national holiday in France. This day is also called "National Holiday" or simply " the 14 th of July» by the date of the event. The holiday became official in 1880 and since then every year has been celebrated in France on a large scale. On this day, the traditional military parade on the Champs Elysees, the Grand Ball, the adoption of the holiday by the President of France, mass festivities, widespread parties and festive events, as well as a big salute and fireworks. On July 14, France celebrates a day that is a symbol of freedom.

The Bastille Day holiday is dedicated to one of the most important events in the history of France. In 1789, at the very beginning of the Great French, the rebellious inhabitants of the city stormed the Bastille prison, which was considered a real fortress. The fortress, which later became a prison, was founded on April 22, 1370. "Bastille" (fortification) was designed to protect the capital of France from the British, who regularly raided Paris. The construction of the fortress lasted almost two hundred years. The Bastille building was a quadrangular building, consisting of eight thirty-meter towers connected to each other by a wall. A moat 25 meters wide and 8 meters deep was laid around the fortress. An additional wall was also built around the fortress and the moat. In terms of its power, the fortress was practically impregnable and was considered one of the most formidable in the whole world.

In the 16th century, the fortress lost its original purpose and became a prison for those who were objectionable to the authorities, as they would say now - for political prisoners. Since that time, the fortress began to symbolize the defense of Paris, as tyranny, despotism and absolutism of power. For the inhabitants of Paris, the Bastille was truly hated, because often not real criminals were kept here, but only those who did not like the king and his entourage. During the uprising, the fortress was taken by storm, and the prisoners were released. It happened on July 14, 1789. After the capture, more than 800 workers within three years they dismantled the fortress-prison until there was absolutely nothing left of it. On the site of the Bastille, a sign was placed "From now on, they dance here." Today, Place de la Bastille is located here, and in the center stands the July Column, which was erected in honor of the victims of the events of the French Revolution.

On July 14, France celebrates the main national holiday of the Republic - Bastille Day (L "anniversaire de la prise de la Bastille).

The Bastille is a fortress in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, in the western district of Paris, was built at the end of the 14th century, expanded and strengthened in the 16th and 17th centuries.

It was supposed to serve as a fortification on the outskirts of the capital. Soon the fortress began to serve as a prison, mainly for political prisoners. For 400 years, among the prisoners of the Bastille there were many famous personalities of France - the moralist writer Francois de La Rochefoucauld, the playwright Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, the philosopher Francois-Marie Arouet de Voltaire was twice a prisoner of the Bastille. Under King Louis XV (1710-1774), the Bastille gained a bad reputation as a royal prison, the prisoners of which disappeared forever in underground casemates. For many generations of the French, the fortress was a symbol of the omnipotence and despotism of kings. By the 1780s, the prison had practically ceased to be used.

By the end of the XVIII century, France was on the verge of bankruptcy, a third of the population of Paris were beggars and vagabonds. In search of a way out of the financial impasse, King Louis XVI of France was forced on May 5, 1789 to convene the Estates General (the highest class-representative institution, convened by the king at critical moments French history). Refusing to discuss particulars, on June 17 the deputies proclaimed themselves the National Assembly, and on June 23 they refused to obey the royal decree dissolving them. On July 9, 1789, the Assembly called itself Constituent, proclaiming its goal to develop the constitutional foundations of a new political order.

The reason for the siege of the Bastille was the rumors about the decision of the king to disperse constituent Assembly, as well as the removal of the reformer Jacques Necker from the post of state controller of finances. Outraged Parisians took to the streets. On July 11, it became known about the concentration of royal troops near Paris.

On July 14, 1789, the Parisians, who decided to resist the troops, in the hope of taking possession of the weapons stored there. None of the rebels thought of the storming of the Bastille as a symbolic event. Traditionally, it is believed that the assault was undertaken in order to free the prisoners of the Bastille.

At that time, there were seven prisoners in the fortress - four counterfeiters, two mentally ill and one murderer, the Bastille garrison consisted of 110 soldiers. The assault on the fortress lasted about four hours. The crowd broke into the fortress, the head of the garrison was torn to pieces, the prisoners were released.

In response to what happened, Louis XVI reinstated Necker and withdrew troops from Paris. The townspeople greeted the news with an explosion of jubilation. Legend has it that the inscription "Here they dance" appeared on the ruins of the Bastille.

After July 14, the Parisian municipality decided to demolish the Bastille. For three years until May 15, 1791, the fortress was dismantled.

At present, on the site of the demolished fortress, there is Place de la Bastille - the intersection of a dozen streets and boulevards with the underground node of the Paris metro and the Paris Opera. In the center of the square rises the July Column (Colonne de Juillet). It was established in memory of the events of the July Revolution of 1830, as a result of which the absolute monarchy of Charles X was abolished, and it was replaced by a constitutional monarchy headed by the citizen king Louis Philippe.

The height of the entire structure, including the pedestals, is over 50 meters.

The column is crowned with a gilded bronze statue of the winged Genius of Liberty by Auguste Dumont. In one hand, the Genius holds the torch of Civilization, and in the other, the broken chains of Slavery.

The storming of the Bastille is considered the beginning of the French Revolution. Officially, the holiday was established on January 31, 1879. Since then, the assault on the fortress has been considered a symbol of harmony and unity of the French nation, and Bastille Day is actually the country's Independence Day.

The official program of the celebration begins on July 13th. On this day, a number of solemn balls take place in France. The next day opens the military parade on the Champs-Elysées, which starts at 10 am in the Place de l'Etoile and moves towards the Louvre, where the President of France receives him.

The obligatory finale of the celebration is a grandiose fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower and on the Champs de Mars at 10 pm.

In addition to the official program, throughout the city - in discos, bars, nightclubs, houses and streets - there are ongoing parties. Noisy balls, festivities, carnivals are organized in every Parisian quarter, in every provincial town. Tables with refreshments are set up on the streets. Across the country, the sky is lit up with thousands of fireworks.

July 14 at the French embassies in different countries the world arranged solemn receptions.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

National holiday

Story

Then for many decades there were no special celebrations on July 14 in France. The main public holiday was celebrated on September 22 (declaration of France as a republic, 1793-1803), August 15 (Saint Napoleon's Day, 1806-1813), June 30 (closing of the Paris World Exhibition, 1878). The situation changed towards late XIX century. Following parliamentary elections on January 5, 1879, the unpopular, pro-monarchist President McMahon was forced to resign on January 30. The president who replaced him, Jules Grevy, along with the majority of the National Assembly, began to take steps to unite the country around republican values- in particular, was adopted as the national anthem "La Marseillaise". But the choice of date for the main holiday of the country dragged on for more than a year. Only in May 1880, the deputy Benjamin Raspail - the son of the famous scientist and revolutionary Francois-Vincent Raspail - proposed the date of July 14, 1789. The anniversary of the storming of the Bastille immediately aroused ardent support from some deputies, who considered it a glorious page in history, and equally ardent rejection from others, who considered it a senselessly bloody episode. In the end, the parties managed to reach a compromise, as a result of which, in the law adopted on July 6, 1880, there was no reference to any historical event. Accordingly, the history of the National Day can be counted from the storming of the Bastille or from the Feast of the Federation. Thus, accepted in some foreign languages naming the holiday Bastille Day, English Bastille Day, dated Bastilledagen, tour. Bastille Günü, etc.) is, strictly speaking, incorrect.

One of the main events dedicated to the National Holiday is the military parade currently held on the Champs Elysées. But the location of the parade has changed many times throughout history. In the first years after the establishment of the holiday and until 1914, the parade was called the "review" and was held on Hippodrome "Longchamp". At the end of the First World War, the parade moved to the Champs Elysees with the passage of three victorious marshals (Joffre, Pétain and Foch) at the head of the troops under the Arc de Triomphe. But since 1921, the ceremony has changed due to the arrangement next to the arch of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. At the end of the Second World War in 1945, the parade was held on Place de la Bastille. Then the venue (and direction) of the parade also changed many times: Place de la Bastille, Place de la République, Avenue Vincennes, Champs Elysees. It was not until 1980 that the modern ceremony was adopted.

celebration

The July 14 celebration program includes various events in almost all French settlements and even abroad. Often, especially in small towns and villages, they begin the evening before, so that their residents can participate in the festivities twice - on July 13 at their place of residence, and the next day go to Big City. The program often includes musical events from the most different styles and orientation - from local amateur performances to world stars; Thus, about half a million people took part in the classical music festival held on July 14, 2014 on the Champ de Mars. In many communes people's festivities - balls are organized indoors or outdoors. Among the balls, a purely French firemen's ball stands out, the tradition of which dates back a hundred years - shows organized by local fire brigades with music, dance and all kinds of entertainment.

The main state ceremony of the National Day are military parades, the main one being held in Paris. The parade is held with the participation of the President of the French Republic, the Prime Minister, members of the government, the chairmen of the Senate and the National Assembly, the diplomatic corps. Often, top officials of foreign states are also present at the parade - for example, the 2017 parade was attended by US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. Since 1980, the parade has taken place on the Champs Elysees. At 9:10 am, columns of troops begin their movement along the main avenue of the French capital from Charles de Gaulle Square and the triumphal arch towards Concorde, the Champs Elysees and the Louvre. Active military personnel, cadets of military schools and civilians (policemen) take part in the parade. About 4,000 foot participants, 240 horsemen, 80 motorcyclists, 460 pieces of other equipment pass along the Champs Elysees, and 60 aircraft. Often, foreign military personnel also take part in the parades: for example, in 1994, soldiers marched along the Champs Elysees Eurocorps, that is, for the first time since the end of World War II German soldiers marched through Paris, which caused a heated controversy. Not all soldiers march at the same pace during the parade: for most military units, a rhythm of 120 steps per minute is set - the pace of such marches as Marseillaise and Sambre-and-Meuse Regiment, but alpine shooters and rangers march faster - at a pace 130 steps per minute (the rhythm of the song "Sidi Brahim"), and the Foreign Legion, completing the parade, moves at a pace of 88 steps per minute (the rhythm of the Legion's anthem "Le Boudin"). The parade ends around noon.

On the evening of July 14 (and in small towns sometimes the day before) fireworks are held, the main one of which starts at 23:00 on the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower and lasts up to half an hour. Unlike fireworks and salutes held in some other countries, French fireworks is a real light and music show. Characteristically, fireworks are one of the few symbols of the Old Order that republican France has preserved: it first took place on November 21, 1615 on the wedding day of Louis XIII and after that remained a symbol of absolute monarchy.

Notes

1. France: Large Linguistic Dictionary / Under the general editorship of Doctor of Philology L. G. Vedenina. - 2nd edition, corrected and enlarged. - AST-Press, 2008. - S. 381. - 976 p. - 4000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-462-00894-8.
2. Details de la fête Nationale, du 14 Juillet 1790, arrêtes par le Roi . - imp. Garnery, 1790. - 8 p. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017.
3. Pierrick Herve. La fête nationale du 14 juillet(fr.). Presidency de la Republique française. Retrieved July 14, 2017. Archived from the original on May 27, 2017.
4. 22 September 1792: Avenement de la Republique française(fr.). Herodote.net. Retrieved July 14, 2017. Archived from the original on March 18, 2016.