Bastille Day 2023: Celebration, Significance, History, and More about the Bastille Day

Bastille Day is the celebration of the National Day of France and commemorates the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. The French call it the Fête nationale française (meaning “French National Celebration”) and is also known as le 14 juillet (meaning “the 14th of July”). It is observed annually all over France and many other parts of the world on July 14. Follow this article for more details related to Bastille Day 2023 including its history, celebration, FAQs, and much more.

Bastille Day 2023 Overview

Bastille Day 2023 Date

Below mentioned are the upcoming dates for Bastille Day for the upcoming 5 years.

What was Bastille and what happened there?

Formally known as the Bastille Saint-Antoine, the Bastille was a fortress in Paris that was used as a state prison by the kings of France. The Bastille played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and was stormed by a crowd during the French Revolution on 14 July 1789.

The Storming of the Bastille occurred on 14 July 1789, when revolutionary insurgents stormed and seized control of the medieval armory in the Bastille fortress. The prison was seen as a symbol of the monarchy’s abuse of power and its fall was the flashpoint of the French Revolution. The building was later demolished and replaced by the Place de la Bastille.

History of Bastille Day

Around 100 years after the Storming of the Bastille, a feast was officially arranged in Paris on June 30, 1878, to honor the French Republic. Following this, another semi-official feast was organized on 14 July 1879 to commemorate the event of the Storming of the Bastille. In 1880, the government of the Third Republic decided to revive the festival of 14 July, and on 21 May, a law regarding this was proposed by Benjamin Raspail. The law was signed by sixty-four members of government, to have “the Republic adopt 14 July as the day of an annual national festival”. However, there was a disagreement on the date on which the national holiday should be observed. Some proposed the date to be 4 August to commemorate the end of the feudal system. Others wanted 5 May (when the Estates-General first assembled), 27 July (the fall of Robespierre), and 21 January (the date of Louis XVI’s execution) to be the date of the holiday. Finally, the government decided that the date of the holiday would be 14 July, the day on which the political prison of Bastille was seized.

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Bastille Day Celebration 2023

Bastille Day is observed with great enthusiasm by the people of France with Europe’s largest parade organized in Paris to celebrate the event. The parade is held on July 14 on the Champs-Élysées in Paris in front of the President of the Republic. It is a French military parade that is held in the morning at 11 am and goes on for around one hour. Not just the largest but it is also the oldest parade in Europe that has been organized continuously since 1880. The parade is live broadcast on French TV so that each and every citizen of the nation can be a part of it.

Many other countries around the world including the United States, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, India, Ireland, and others also organize events and parties to commemorate the day. Bastille Day is celebrated around the world with French traditions such as French food, music, games, etc. There is no particular theme to celebrate Bastille Day and general celebrations like a national day are carried out in different parts of the world and in France.

Frequently Asked Questions