Bastille Day | Definition, History, Traditions, Celebrations, & Facts (2024)

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Bastille Day | Definition, History, Traditions, Celebrations, & Facts? ›

One of the revolutionary days in Paris and now a national holiday, the 14th of July ("Bastille Day") is celebrated with a mixture of solemn military parades and easygoing dancing and fireworks. The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 has been commemorated in France for more than a century.

The 14th of July is the day of the national French celebration. Established in 1880, this date commemorates both the storming of the Bastille on the 14th July 1789, which ended absolute rule, and the Festival of the Federation of the 14th July 1790.

Bastille, medieval fortress on the east side of Paris that became, in the 17th and 18th centuries, a French state prison and a place of detention for important persons charged with various offenses.

Some of the “traditional” Bastille Day foods you might see people eating around France include (but are certainly not limited to!) crepes, croissants and other pastries, brioche, bread and cheese, quiche, and maybe some nice wine with dinner.

The Bastille was strategically vital during the period, both because of its role as a royal fortress and safe-haven inside the capital, and because it controlled a critical route in and out of Paris.

The date commemorates the capture of the Bastille, a state prison in Paris that fell to a mob on July 14, 1789, signaling the end of the reign of Louis XVI and the beginning of the French Revolution. The holiday is celebrated with parades, speeches, and fireworks in France as well as many other countries.

On the evening of 14 July 2016, a 19-tonne cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, resulting in the deaths of 86 people and the injury of 434 others. The driver was Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian living in France.

Bastille was a fortress prison in France. It was a symbol of the despotic powers of King Louis XVI. Hence it was hated all in France. The fortress was demolished and its stone fragments were sold in the markets.

Therefore the Bastille symbolises the despotic rule of Louis XVI and became a symbol of social injustice, absolute monarchy and inequality.

The main events of the Great Fear were disordered riots in the French Provinces with the aim of securing food or destroying seigneurial dues. The main reasons for the Great Fear were hunger, the poor harvest of 1789, increased vagrancy, and the spread of rumour about a potential plot by the aristocrats.

What are some traditions of Bastille Day? ›

One of the revolutionary days in Paris and now a national holiday, the 14th of July ("Bastille Day") is celebrated with a mixture of solemn military parades and easygoing dancing and fireworks. The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 has been commemorated in France for more than a century.

Kir Royale. A classic and elegant apéro, Kir Royale is made with crème de cassis, topped with champagne or sparkling wine such as Cremant de Bourgogne. Add 1 part crème de cassis to a champagne flute, top with 5 parts of champagne. The drink is easy to make and delicious.

There is no French equivalent to "Happy Bastille Day" – all you can say is, generically, Bonne fête ! And of course, there's also Vive la France ! (but try not to overuse it). Bastille Day is one of the symbols of France (others are Marianne, the flag, the Marseillaise …)

The storming of the Bastille in Paris, France, on July 14, 1789, signalled the start of the French Revolution, after which a republic was established based on the ideals of 'liberty, equality, fraternity'.

any prison or jail, especially one conducted in a tyrannical way. a fortified tower, as of a castle; a small fortress; citadel.

The French wear the colors blue, red, and white on Bastille Day. These are the colors of the flag of the 'tricolore,' which is the name of the French flag. On Bastille Day, the French celebrate with fireworks, parades, and other patriotic events.