France Celebrates Bastille Day

Summer is here and that means Bastille Day is right around the corner. On July 14, France will be once again be celebrating the 1790 Fete de la Federation, which was held those 200 and some years ago on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille.

If you are in France, you won’t be able to miss the party. Parades, fireworks, picnics and parties will be taking place throughout the country. Paris, naturally, will throw one of the largest parties with a military parade in the morning and fireworks lighting up the Eiffel Tower in the evening.

On the evening of July 13 (a Friday this year), the festivities in Paris are kicked off by a number of balls as well as dancing in the Bastille square. Many parties are held at the fire stations, with the firefighters as the main attraction. Additionally, there is a large, boisterous Gay Ball. Then, the military parade, led by the president, starts around 10 a.m. the next morning on the Champs-Elysses. Partying continues throughout the day, capped off by a fireworks display at the Trocadero.

In Paris and beyond, the French get together for picnics during the day, and it wouldn’t be a French picnic without a few basics: Baguettes, ham, cheese, olives and wine are common fare. Some add a little pizzazz to the usual bottle of wine by bringing it in a watermelon. Called Pasteque Ivre, or drunken watermelon, it basically involves infusing a watermelon with Beaujolais Nouveau. The wine can be a little difficult to find this time of year, however, so another red wine, or perhaps even a rose, may be substituted.

Another aspect of Bastille Day is that it falls during the Tour de France. This year is no exception with the famed bicycle stage race running from July 7-29.

In 1998, football (or soccer to the Americans out there) was a highlight of the activities. Two days after the celebration, the French were celebrating the victory of their team in the World Cup.

The day took on a somber tone in 2002 as a would-be assassin bullet just missed Jacques Chirac, then the French president, during the festivities in Paris.

For those who do not know their French history, the storming of the high-security prison, the Bastille, by the citizens of Paris marked the beginning of the French Revolution.

If you’re in France on July 14, be sure to check out the festivities. If not, you can always make up your own Pasteque Ivre and celebrate right along with the French. Vive la France!

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