Bastille Day

Bastille Day is a National holiday in France. It is very much like Independence Day in the United States because it is a celebration of the beginning of a new form of government.
At one time in France, kings and queens ruled. Many people were very angry with the decisions made by the kings and queens.
The Bastille was a prison in France that the kings and queens often used to lock up the people that did not agree with their decisions. To many, it was a symbol of all the bad things done by the kings and queens. So, on July 14, 1789, a large number of French citizens gathered together and stormed the Bastille.
Just as the people in the United States celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence as the beginning of the American Revolution, so the people in France celebrate the storming of the Bastille as the beginning of the French Revolution. Both Revolutions brought great changes. Kings and queens no longer rule. The people rule themselves and make their own decisions.
How is this celebrated, well this year the Government announced that only 500 cars were burnt by disaffected youth! This is a time for telling the Government what one thinks about them. It is the right of every Frenchman to protest, as you can see from all the greves ( strikes) that the police do not try to stop even if they are illegal!
Of course there is a more formal celebration, in Paris, with a grand military parade down the Avenue des Champs- Elysees.
In the Golfe of St Tropez all the villages have celebrations at the Hotel de Ville ( Council office but posher) and in my local village, Cogolin, it was possible to see the staff and local police taking refreshments on the terrace with the mayor.
At night the skies explode with fireworks and if you sit on the beach it is possible to see each village around the Golfe de St Tropez setting off their fireworks at different times.
Indeed a special day, except for our dogs that hide in the bedrooms!!
Mr. L. 16/07/09