Military parades, pyrotechnic shows, festive atmosphere … On the occasion of the national holiday, we come back to the customs of July 14 and we breathe some ideas to take full advantage of it with the family.
Every summer, July 14 Gather young and old around the fireworks, which you admire from its window, a park or feet in the sand. In 2025, this holiday will fall on a Monday. But by the way, what do we commemorate exactly on this date, and how to mark the event?
What is the meaning of national holiday?
National Day in France celebrates the capture of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. This historical fact symbolizes the fall of the absolute monarchy and the beginning of the French Revolution.
What happened on July 14, 1789?
At the time, In 1789, France went through a major crisis period. The French people are demanding change and written their complaints on Common complaintsinstalled in town halls and transmitted to King Louis XVI. The tension in the streets is gradually rising over the months. In the capital, in July 1789, the royal troops were deployed to protect Versailles and Paris. THE Parisians decide not to be done And to retaliate by launching calls for arms.
THE July 14, 1789part of the population heads for Invalides to take up arms, before going to the Bastille prison to get powder. The governor who is at the head of the royal prison, Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay, then commits his men to fire on the crowd. Blood fight is launched. The fortress is taken by storm by the people, it is the taking of the Bastille.
Why do you draw fireworks on July 14?
The tradition of fireworks on July 14 dates back to 1880, the date on which the national holiday was officially established. That year, a big fireworks were fired above the Seine in Paris to celebrate the event. Success is such that the show becomes a republican ritual. It symbolizes joy, national unity and memory of the beginnings of the Republic after the French Revolution.
In general, July 14 is celebrated with family and friends around Various activities : a good mealfollowed by a output To attend balls, illuminations and traditional fireworks. THE Military parade of July 14 on the Champs-Élysée in Paris is also very symbolic on the day of the national holiday, it is transcribed live on television. If you have children, you can also occupy them differently by offering them Manual activities or coloring. Here are our DIY on Hugo the snail for July 14:
What are the symbols of July 14?
Several symbols surround the national holiday:
- THE Military parade on the Champs-Élysées which brings together different bodies of the French army.
- THE fireworks launched after dark.
- THE Blue, white, red tricolor flag
- L’Marseille national anthem
- The national motto “Freedom, Equality, Fraternity”
There is also the rooster, or Marianne, who are part of the emblems of the French Republic.
