Bastille day (Saint Martin) – July 14, 2024

History of Bastille day (Saint Martin)

The Bastille was a medieval fort and prison in Paris. It was widely associated with the French Bourbon monarchy’s harsh rule in the late 1700s. By 1789, crop failures, food shortages, economic stagnation, and political turmoil had worn down the French. There was no such thing as national citizenship, and everyone was a subject of King Louis XVI, who had amassed enormous debt and heavily taxed citizens to pay it off. In addition, the people accused his queen, Marie Antoinette, of lavish spending and scandalous behavior. The king agreed to call the Estates General, a type of national assembly and parliament with no real power. However, Louis XVI militarized Paris, signaling his intention to repress the assembly and maintain control over the people. Consequently, revolutionary troops invaded the Bastille on July 14, 1789, a watershed moment that started the French Revolution.

Bastille Day commemorates France’s establishment of a constitutional monarchy. In 1880, politician Benjamin Raspail proposed that July 14 be declared a French national holiday. On July 6, 1880, the law was passed, and eight days later, Bastille Day became a public holiday for the first time. Since then, a military parade has been held yearly, except during World War II. From 1940 to 1944, the Free French Forces spent Bastille Day parading through London, England. France held a special celebration for the French Revolution’s 200th anniversary in 1989.

Paris’ Eiffel Tower and the French national flag are significant Bastille Day symbols. The latter, known as the ‘tricolor,’ is composed of three equal-width vertical bands in red, blue, and white. On Bastille Day, the colors are featured in buntings and banners of various shapes and worn on clothing or as face paint. The Bastille Day celebrations are also carried out in Saint Martin, a French community in the Caribbean.