What is Bastille Day in France and why is it celebrated?
French people traveling or living in English-speaking countries are sometimes surprised when asked about their plans for Bastille Day: they refer to the day as Quatorze Juillet (July 14). France National Day has nothing to do with the Bastille storm and the name on the day in English conveys a deceptive image. But it does give us an interesting look at how the English-speaking world imagines Frances revolutionary past. The most common misconceptions about French National Day are that it is a celebration of the anniversary of the Bastille storm on July 14, 1789 and commemorates the official start of the French Revolution. It is actually a much more complex story. As English speakers refer to Bastille Day, in France the day is closely associated with another historical event: the Fte de la Fdration (Festival of the Federation), a mass gathering held on July 14, 1790. In 1789, the people of Paris attacked the Bastille: a political prison, a symbol of the monarchy and an armor. Citizens aimed to seize weapons, ammunition and dust to fight the royal troops stationed near Paris. France National Day has been celebrated on various days throughout the history of the country. ( Reuters: Charles Platiau )  Thus the Fte de la Fdration of 1790 was created to inaugurate a new era which abolished absolutism and gave birth to a French constitutional monarchy. Tens of thousands of people from all provinces gathered at the Champ-de-Mars in Paris to take part in a military parade led by Lafayette, a mass celebrated by Talleyrand and a collective oath culminating in short but clever speeches by King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. It was not an annual event: just a day to herald a period of national unity. Less than three years later, the heads of the king and queen would meet the edge of the guillotine, and the constitutional monarchy was replaced by the First Republic. An ever-moving date  France has had many days of national celebrations, each reflecting the politics of its time. Napoleon I (emperor from 1804 to 1814) declared that citizens should celebrate August 15: the date of the day of his name and of the Assumption of Mary. Under Restoration (1814-1830), the regime celebrated its kings in the days of their names: Louis XVIII (1814-1824) on 25 August and Charles X (1824-1830) on 24 May. The Monarchy of July (1830-1848) under the leadership of Louis-Philippe I celebrated its birth in the heat of the Three Glorious Days of July 27-29, 1830. The Second Republic (1848-1852) approved May 4, the first meeting of the National Constituent Assembly in 1848. Another new political regime once again celebrated itself. Under the Second Empire (1852-1870), Napoleon III turned Frances national day into August 15: his name day. In a little less than a century, France changed its national day half a dozen times. New symbols for a new era  The catastrophic and humiliating defeat suffered by France against Prussia in 1871 led to the fall of Napoleon III and the advent of the French Third Republic, which needed its new symbols. For nearly 15 years, there was fierce conflict between the partisans of a monarchy and those in favor of a republican regime. The memory of the French Revolution became one of their main battlefields and the choice of a national day an object of controversy. Some advocated for July 15, the day of the name of Bourbons last claimant, Henry, Count of Chambord, in the hope of an imminent restoration. The left-wing radicals pushed for January 21, the anniversary of the beheading of Louis XVI in 1793. The French can project their meaning for what is celebrated that day. ( AP: Francois Mori )  Others wanted to celebrate the Tennis Court Oath, which signaled the break-up of feudal France on June 20, 1789. In the spring of 1880, politician Benjamin Raspail filed a petition to declare July 14 a national day: a date split between the Fte de la Fdration a symbol of unity for the right and the left-leaning image of the Bastille storm. Due to the ambiguity of the date, the motion was passed into law without specifying which Quatorze Juillet would be commemorated. Raspails motion received parliamentary approval based on its connection to the Fte, but the question of meaning was left open. Bastille Day today  Quatorze Juillet inextricably embodies the curious and divisive legacy that the French Revolution carries for the French. Under the veneer of the celebrations, the question of the inner nature of the Revolution and whether its goals Libert, Egal, Fratern have been achieved is often lowered into the background. It is not a day for reflection or politics. It is a day of family activities and quiet festivities, adorned with a sensational military parade showcasing French power on the Champs-Elyses. In the evening, fireworks and popular dances known as Bal des pompiers (Fire Ball) take place all over the country. Its a time for fraternal celebrations, much of the ambition of the original Fte de la Fdration. References to the Bastille storm are invisible or almost invisible. Revolution is rarely mentioned in the presidential interview. While it is a day of leisure across France, July 14th is also marked with a military parade along the Champs-Elyses. ( Reuters: Gonzalo Fuentes )  The symbols of the Revolution of 1789 are still the subject of contradictory interpretations and public controversy, as the recent movement of the Yellow Vests has shown. Precisely it is precisely this carefully preserved ambiguity in Quatorze Juillet which has enabled its endurance as France National Day: it can mean many things to many people. The French can project their meaning for what is celebrated. They can choose between the Bastille storm and humans; Fte de la Fdration and national unity; and everything in between. Or they can just enjoy a day off and admire the fireworks with their friends and family, oblivious to the complex story behind July 14th. Romain Fathi is a senior professor of history at Flinders University. Claire Rioult is a PhD candidate in Early Modern History at Monash University. This piece first appeared on Conversation.