What is Bastille Day and why do the French celebrate a day full of death

It's Bastille Day!

[Disclaimer, the author of this article is half French and will be wearing neither a beret nor a moustache!]

Quite apart from the stereotypical portrayal of the French people, Bastille Day is bigger than Christmas to most French speakers and ex-pats.

Except that to the French, it's not really called Bastille Day. It's more often referred to as Fête Nationale du 14 Juillet, or Fête Nationale (meaning 'national holiday').

English speaking countries tend to then refer to that national holiday on July 14 as Bastille Day.

Fête Nationale commemorates the storming of the Bastille - a walled medieval fortress and makeshift prison - by a mob of peasantry on July 14, 1789.

The mob had demanded weaponry from the fortress and when the guards refused, they simply took matters into their own hands, breaking in and breaking out a bunch of prisoners.

It is widely considered that this event sparked the beginning of the French Revolution, which overthrew the Bourbon monarchy under King Louis XIV.

Not to make light of it, the era resulted in enormous bloodshed across the country before it eventually ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799.

Roughly 40,000 people were executed or murdered during the French Revolution's 'reign of terror'. So it begs the question, why on earth would any nation want to celebrate such violence?

The French Revolution heralded the end of the feudal system of governance in France, which had led to enormous poverty and suffering among the lower classes.

Despite the violence, historians tend to recognise that this was the beginning of French unification and enlightenment with the installation of fairer civil laws and the rise of French philosophy.

It is, in many ways, the doorway to modern history.

The era completely changed the relationship between government and the people, fundamentally redefining the nature of political power across Europe and the world.

And for this reason, the French celebrate July 14 as the beginning of better days.

Given the enormity of the bloodshed, it's obvious that July 14, 1789 must have been on a Thursday. Why? Because it was a très jeudi. (*Ahem* is this thing on?)

That depends on where you are. Military parades and flyovers typically take place around France and especially around Bastille Place in Paris.

Meanwhile, Francophiles across the world celebrate the day by feasting on quintessential French cuisines.

If you're less than willing to fill your plate with escargot (really, really garlicy snails!) then a glass of red wine, a fresh baguette and a gross amount of cheese is the way to go.

Seriously, try the raclette. It's just melted cheese on melted cheese and it's amazing!

What's not to love about that? Hello cheese coma!