bastille day is a french national holiday that is celebrated annually on july 14th. bastille day commemorates the beginning of the french revolution, which began when the bastille was stormed by the people of paris. the bastille was a prison and a symbol of the absolute power of louis the 16th's ancient regime. while the bastille only contained seven prisoners at the time of its capture, the storming of the prison was a symbol of liberty and the fight against oppression for all french citizens.
because the constitution of france allows the president to pardon criminals, past french presidents used bastille day to pardon petty offenders (usually those guilty of minor traffic violations). In 2007, president nicolas sarkozy ended this tradition.
parisians celebrate this national holiday with a grand military parade up the champs elysees, arts festivals, and raucous parties. so uncork a bottle of frenchwine, or better yet frenchchampagne, and toast our french friends on this day.
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