French national holiday: all about the military

Bastille Day

The national holiday in France is marked by the spirit of the French Revolution: On July 14, 1789, angry Parisians stormed the state prison, the so-called “Bastille”. They thus marked the symbolic beginning of the French Revolution and the end of the hated Ancien Régime. The era of Louis XIV – known as the Sun King – was characterized by political unrest and a wide gap between rich and poor.

The national holiday not only stands for the storming of the Bastille, but for the French Revolution as a whole – above all the introduction of France’s first constitution. The day also commemorates the Federation Festival on July 14, 1790, which is intended to symbolize the unity of the French nation.

Parades and polytechnic spectacle

The celebrations for the “Fête Nationale” reach their climax every year in the French capital: since 1980, a military parade has taken place in front of the spectacular backdrop of the Parisian boulevard Champs-Élysées. This year, in the spirit of the Ukraine war, the traditional military parade began at the Arc de Triomphe, led across the Champs-Élysées to the Place de la Concorde. Military personnel from Eastern European countries also held a special place. At the start of the parade, the French President drove up in an open military car in front of thousands of people.

Around 10:30 a.m., however, all eyes were on the sky: the official aerobatic team of the French Air Force used colored vapor trails to paint an image of the blue, white and red flag in the Paris sky. From 11 p.m., numerous fireworks can be admired in its place – the most famous of which will be in the Trocadéro Gardens around and partially also ignited by the Eiffel Tower itself.

Criticism of the military contingent

For several years, however, there has been repeated criticism of the display of the military on the Avenue de Champs-Élysées. As pragmatic reasons against the large military contingent, on the one hand its costs (around four million euros) and on the other hand its poor pollutant balance are given.

The ideology behind the national holiday of the Grande Nation is also increasingly being questioned: Above all, the fact that July 14 in France has always been marked by the military and demonstrations of power by the state is being denounced.

You can see the first pictures of the large military contingent in Paris here: