When Is Bastille Day Celebrated in India?
When Is Bastille Day Celebrated in India? Bastille Day is celebrated with great festivity in Pondicherry, a former French colony, every year. On the eve of the Bastille Day, retired soldiers parade and celebrate the day with Indian and French National Anthems. On the day, uniformed war soldiers march through the street to honor the French soldiers who were killed in the battles. One can perceive French and the [Indian flag] flying alongside that project the mishmash of cultures and heritages.
July 14 is Bastille Day, which is what English-speaking countries call France’s annual national celebration. In France, this celebration is called “La Fête Nationale” (The National Celebration) or “le quatorze juillet” (the 14th of July). Bastille Day celebrates the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. The Bastille was a fortress in Paris used as a prison. At the time, it was a symbol of the oppression French citizens suffered under the rule of Louis XVI. Many prisoners held in the Bastille had been imprisoned by the king under orders that could not be appealed.
Those who stormed the Bastille that day obtained ammunition, gunpowder, and got release of a few prisoners. Its importance, though, was largely symbolic, as it represented to many the uprising of the new French nation that wanted to be free of the absolute power and oppression of the king.
One year later, on July 14, 1790, the Fête de la Fédération was a huge feast that was held as an official event to celebrate the uprising that had occurred the year before. The storming of the Bastille was seen as the start of the French Revolution. Having established a new government by the people with separation of powers, the newly-free French were ready to celebrate!
Each year on July 14, celebrations and ceremonies take place all over France. In fact, Bastille Day is celebrated all over the world by those of French descent. One of the longstanding traditions of Bastille Day is the military parade held on the morning of July 14 along the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris in front of the French President. Other traditions include giant fireworks displays, feasts, and parties. Many cities in the United States have annual Bastille Day celebrations, including Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Just like the signing of the Declaration of Independencesignaled the start of the American Revolution, the storming of the Bastille signaled the start of the Great Revolution in France. French citizens celebrate the start of a new form of government on July 14 just like Americans do on July 4. Long live freedom and vive la France!