Bastille Day (redirected from 14 juillet)

Bastille Day

July 14; French national holiday celebrating the fall of the Bastille prison (1789). [Fr. Hist.: NCE, 245]

See : Independence

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Bastille Day

celebration of day Paris mob stormed prison; first outbreak of French Revolution (1789). [Fr. Hist.: EB, I: 866]

See : Rebellion

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Bastille Day

July 14

The Bastille was a 14th-century fortress that became a notorious state prison in Paris. An angry mob assaulted the Bastille—which had come to symbolize the French monarchy's oppression of the people—on July 14, 1789, freeing the political prisoners held there and launching the French Revolution.
Although the building itself was razed a year after the attack, the Bastille became a symbol of French independence. July 14 has been celebrated since that time in France as FÉte Nationale, as well as in French territories in the Pacific, with parades, fireworks, and dancing in the streets. This period in French history is familiar to many through Charles Dickens's portrayal of it in A Tale of Two Cities .
In Tahiti and the rest of French Polynesia it is called Tiurai or Heiva, and is celebrated for most of the month. The festival includes European-type celebrations plus Polynesian competitions that include both men and women, and a play about the enthronement of a Tahitian high chief. The highlight is the nightly folklore spectacle—a competition of music and dance among groups from throughout French Polynesia who have practiced all year for the event.
See also Night Watch

CONTACTS:
The French Government Tourist Office
825 Third Ave., Fl. 29
New York, NY 10022
514-288-1904; fax: 212-838-7855
www.franceguide.com

SOURCES:
AnnivHol-2000, p. 117
BkDays-1864, vol. II, p. 59
BkHolWrld-1986, Jul 14
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 440
HolSymbols-2009, p. 75
NatlHolWrld-1968, p. 113
OxYear-1999, p. 293

Celebration day: Jul 14

Celebrated in: France

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Bastille Day (Kaplan, Louisiana)

July 14

The French-speaking town of Kaplan, Louisiana, where most of the inhabitants are descended from French Canadians (Acadians), claims to hold the only community-wide celebration of Bastille Day in the United States. The celebration there on July 14 includes fireworks, amateur athletic competitions, and a "fais do-do" or Acadian street dance.
The custom of observing Bastille Day was started by Eugene Eleazer, a French immigrant who became mayor of Kaplan in 1920. With the exception of a brief interruption during World War II, the town has held its fÉte every year since 1906. Smaller Bastille Day celebrations are held elsewhere in Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, where French traditions still run strong.

CONTACTS:
Vermilion Parish Tourist Commission
1907 Veterans Memorial Dr.
P.O. Box 1106
Abbeville, LA 70511
337-898-6600
www.vermilion.org

Celebration day: Jul 14

Celebrated in: Louisiana