What's on Vive La France

Vive La France
When: Sunday 14th July 2024
Time: 7.30 pm
How much: $5 - Cash bar

Vive La France

It's Bastille Day so let's celebrate with all things French. There'll be tunes, songs about France, songs in French ... so why not dress appropriately for the occasion? A beret ... a gilet jaune ... 

The 14th of July marks the symbolic start of the French Revolution, which brought down its powerful monarchy. In 1789, France was under the tyranny of its king, bishops, and nobles. The corrupt monarchy spent lavishly, while the people suffered in poverty. The intimidating fortress of Bastille, with eight towers and 100-foot-high walls, had long functioned as a state prison — and epitomized the callous oppression of King Louis XVI. In the streets of Paris, a revolution simmered.

On the morning of July 14, an angry mob gathered around the Bastille's main gates while the king's troops hunkered down inside. Two citizens scaled the huge wall, cut the chains of the drawbridge, and brought it crashing down. The mob poured through and was met with gunfire. Dozens were killed, and hundreds wounded. Nevertheless, revolutionaries opened dark dungeons and brought prisoners into the light of day, then paraded victoriously through Paris. The Revolution had begun.

Virtually no trace of the original Bastille fortress remains today but the spirit of the Revolution lives on in the square where it all began: the Place de la Bastille. Today, the kickoff of the Revolution is celebrated every year on what we now call "Bastille Day" — which the French usually just call "le quatorze Juillet." 

 

 

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