Bastille Day

I was able to celebrate France’s national day—July 14th, Bastille Day. It is a national holiday, so I enjoyed shopping at a nearby market, a picnic in a city park, a BBQ and watching Marseille’s fireworks from the roof of our office building with friends. Here’s a little overview of Bastille Day courtesy of www.french.about.com.

“Bastille Day, the French national holiday, commemorates the storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14 July 1789 and marked the beginning of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a prison and a symbol of the absolute and arbitrary power of Louis the 16th's Ancient Regime. By capturing this symbol, the people signalled that the king's power was no longer absolute: power should be based on the Nation and be limited by a separation of powers.

Although the Bastille only held seven prisoners at the time of its capture, the storming of the prison was a symbol of liberty and the fight against oppression for all French citizens; like the Tricolore flag, it symbolized the Republic's three ideals: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity for all French citizens. It marked the end of absolute monarchy, the birth of the sovereign Nation, and, eventually, the creation of the (First) Republic, in 1792.”

There were lots of proud French citizens around town that evening, most of them heading to the old port to get a close up view of the fireworks. We decided to avoid the crowds, parking hassles, etc and opted for a quiet private viewing from the office’s 4th storey rooftop. We saw the whole 25 minute show, including when the turned the lights off at the church Notre Dame de la Garde and began shooting the fireworks from atop that hill that overlooks the city. We tried to sing a little of the French National anthem.

One thing that stands out for me is that we could hear the call to prayer from a nearby mosque as well as Arabic music. France is a very diverse nation, home to over 10 million Muslims, about 10% of it's population.

We all headed home around midnight, but the celebrations continued into the wee hours of the morning. Fireworks and firecrackers were lit off all around the city, including my neighbourhood, so it wasn’t a good nights sleep. But it was a fun day of celebrating!