Saturday, July 14, 2012

Happy Bastille Day! 




Bastille Day or Le Quatorze Juillet  (the 14th of July) , as it is commonly referred to in France, celebrates the 1790  Fête de la Fédération,  held on the first anniversary of the  storming of the Bastille.  On July 14, 1789, the oppressed citizens of France stormed the King’s prison, The Bastille, and began the French Revolution. Although the prison held only seven prisoners at the time, the taking of the prison by the common citizens symbolized liberty and the fight against oppression . On July 14, 1790, the first “Bastille Day” was celebrated with delegates from all regions of France coming together and proclaiming allegiance to one national community. Bastille Day is much like the Fourth of July in the U.S. in that it celebrates the beginning of a Revolution.  

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