bastille day

Today is the Fête Nationale (National Holiday) in France, widely referred to as Bastille day in the English-speaking community. Like every year, there're fireworks held all over France to commemorate this day and last night was the first time we witnessed a live firework here. It went off at quarter to midnight and lasted for half an hour.. it was a stunning display of multi-coloured sparks that rained over the Yonne river. After that, the DJ spin the music all night (or rather morning) long.

Some history:
This day marks the anniversary of the taking of the Bastille in Paris on July 14, 1789. The date has great importance as the symbolic starting point of the French Revolution and the end of the Monarchy. The Bastille (pronounced Bas-tiy) was a fortress prison in Paris, which was regarded as a place of horror and opression - a symbol of autocratic cruelty.. and the storming of the Bastille marked the beginning of open rebellion against the king and it came to symbolize liberty and democracy in the struggle against oppression, a symbol of revolt against injustice.

Today, Bastille Day is celebrated with parades, fireworks and lots of dance parties which usually begin on the 13th and last until the day after. C'est la fête!