Bastille Day is a holiday celebrating the storming of the Bastille - a military fortress and prison on July 14, 1789, in a violent uprising that helped usher in the French Revolution.
What was the Bastille?
Built in the 1300s during the Hundred Years’ War against the English, the Bastille was designed to protect the eastern entrance to the city of Paris. The formidable stone building’s massive defenses included 100 - foot - high walls and a wide moat, plus more than 80 regular soldiers and 30 Swiss mercenaries standing guard.
It is a public holiday in France, celebrated by nationwide festivities including fireworks, parades and parties. Attendees see France’s tricolor flag, hear the French motto Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité “liberty, equality and fraternity” and break into singing La Marseillaise—all popular symbols of France that had their origins in the heady days of the French Revolution.
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