The commemoration of the national holiday on July 14th will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a military ceremony and a land and air parade at the Verdure Theater, attended by civilian and military officials.
Following the ceremony, a concert will take place at Massรฉna Square. The Symphony Orchestra of the Opera, conducted by Philippe Auguin, will perform themes from the great masterpieces of Maurice Ravel.
Then, starting at 9 p.m., it will be the first “Prom’ Party” of the season along the Promenade des Anglais, transformed into five musical stages. The traditional fireworks display will take place at 10 p.m.
July 14, 1789, comes to mind when mentioning the national holiday.
And this day, marking the beginning of the Revolution, remains in memories as a day of freedom.
But surprise: our national holiday does not directly commemorate July 14, 1789, even if this first revolutionary day has symbolic significance.
July 14 officially refers to another event, less known, although all French students learn about it from a young age: the celebration of the Federation, organized one year later, on July 14, 1790…
After the summer of 1789, “federations” of regional national guards were created throughout the French provinces. The Paris Commune, driven by Lafayette, decided to form a great national Federation, bringing together representatives from local federations and gathering them in Paris on July 14. The ceremony was supposed to celebrate the storming of the Bastille, one year after this symbolic date.
The aspiration for national unity triumphed, and the ceremony turned into a great popular festival.
For nearly a century, the commemoration of July 14th was abandoned. It reappeared in 1880 under the Third Republic. Thus, La Marseillaise became the official anthem and July 14th became a national holiday.
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