Bastille Day celebrations and what they mean 8 Articles

by Fiona Thompson

Each year on 14 July, France comes to a stand still as the population celebrates the dramatic events more than two centuries ago that saw the abolition of monarchy rule and the creation of the First Republic, a model for f...read more

by Paul Lines

On the 14th July 1789 a crowd of French revolutionaries gathered outside the walls of the Bastille prison in Paris and demanded the surrender of the prison and its inmates to them. Although there were only seven inmates th...read more

by Rachel Mcclain

Liberty, equality, brotherhood. Not bad tenants to base your republic on. That's what the French people though in 1789 when they'd had enough of Louis the 16th's absolute and arbitrary rule and the decided to overthrow the...read more

by Stephen H

For Americans it's Thanksgiving Day, for the Irish, St Patrick's Day and for the French, Bastille Day. These days help to define a nation and characterise the best of their history and culture. Celebrating Bastille Day is ...read more

by Mark Blow

One of the many favorable times to enjoy France, especially Paris, is on Bastille Day which is celebrated on the 14th of July. It commemorates the storming of the Bastille which was a prison and a symbol of power and absol...read more

by Catherine M

Bastille Day is a celebration on the 14th of July that commemorates the storming of the Bastille on the same day in 1789. It is now seen as French national day, Fete de la Federation which commemorates the celebration that...read more

by Rose Conrad

To the rest of the world, the 14th July is known as Bastille Day, but in France itself they know it simply as "La Fte Nationale", because to them it is their most important National holiday. Put simply, the 14th July is...read more

by Ted Sherman

"Allons enfants de la Patrie, le jour de gloire est arriv !" I first learned the lyrics and music of French national anthem just weeks before the government of France surrendered to the Germans in May 1940. The next day, o...read more