Bastille Day

There is a big supermarket in Tver. It name is “Tver” but it better known by its informal name, Bastille. I wonder why we called it Bastille. It looks like a big fortress. And I think Bastille is one of well-known fortresses in Russia. This suggests that we like French history and culture.




Anyway, today is July, 14 and today is Bastille Day. In 1789, the insurgent Parisians stormed the Bastille fortress-prison and released seven prisoners. This event is considered the beginning of the French Revolution. The Bastille fortress-prison is a token of royal despotism. And the storm of the Bastille is a token of freedom and political liberation. Bastille Day is the French national holiday. The word "Bastille" has become common.

In France the official program of the celebration includes a series of balls: balls of fire, a grand ball, which takes place July, 13 in the Tuileries Gardens. In the Bastille Day there is a solemn military parade on the Champs Elysees. The parade begins at 10 am with Etoile and moves toward the Louvre in front of the President of France. Finale of the festival becomes a big salute and fireworks at the Eiffel Tower and the Mars field at 10 pm. Then there are many parties in discotheques, bars, nightclubs, houses and in the streets.