Fireworks, village dances, tricolour flags, the military parade down the Champs-Élysées, a speech from the President of the Republic… Yes, of course: the 14th of July is our national holiday. But why, exactly?
What exactly happened on a 14th of July for this date to become, nearly a century later, the date of our national holiday?
If the answer doesn't spring to mind straight away, don't worry: there are probably plenty of us in the same boat. When the same celebrations and the same symbols come round year after year, we can end up forgetting the story they tell.
So let's make the most of this 14th of July to refresh our memory a little.
And you'll see: the story is a touch more subtle than a simple storming of the Bastille.
14 July 1789: the storming of the Bastille
The first event that springs to mind is naturally the storming of the Bastille, on 14 July 1789.
This Parisian fortress was serving as a prison at the time, but in the eyes of the people it stood above all for the arbitrary rule and absolute power of the monarchy. Its capture by the revolutionaries became one of the great symbols of the beginning of the French Revolution and of the winning of freedoms.
And yet our national holiday does not commemorate this day of insurrection alone.
14 July 1790: the Fête de la Fédération
A year later, on 14 July 1790, thousands of people gathered in Paris to celebrate the Fête de la Fédération.
This great popular celebration was meant to symbolise reconciliation, the unity of the French people and their determination to build a new political order together after the upheavals of 1789. Representatives came from every region to take part, alongside the king and the National Assembly.
The 14th of July therefore carries a double memory:
- that of the freedom won in 1789;
- that of the national unity sought in 1790.
A national holiday since 1880
Even so, it would take nearly a century for the 14th of July to become officially the national holiday of the Republic.
The law of 6 July 1880 simply states:
“The Republic adopts the 14th of July as the day of the annual national holiday.”
It deliberately names no year. This choice thus brings together the two legacies: the storming of the Bastille and the Fête de la Fédération.
A history still very much alive
So celebrating the 14th of July is not just about remembering a fortress that fell more than two centuries ago.
It is about remembering that our Republic was built around values that remain fragile and precious: liberty, equality, fraternity — but also the will to form a community despite our differences.
So, between a paper lantern or two, a firework and a few notes of music, let's simply remember what this date tells us:
a people laying claim to their freedom, and then seeking to come together to build a shared future.
The village of Baon wishes you a wonderful national holiday.
The Storming of the Bastille, Jean-Pierre Houël, 1789 — BnF / Gallica, public domain.