Bonjour à tous! Welcome back to the French Made Easy Podcast! This is episode number 118, épisode numéro 118!

Today we're going to talk about the French National Day - 'La Fête Nationale Française.' It's also known as 'Bastille Day' in English-speaking countries, but in France, we just call it 'le 14 Juillet' (literally: July 14).

I'm going to share a little bit about what 'le 14 Juillet' is all about in France, and then I'll share some related words and phrases.

And as always, I've got a cheat sheet for you so you can follow along with the words while hearing them! All the links you need are in the episode notes on your podcast platform!

In France, as well as in French territories and French communities worldwide, we celebrate 'Le 14 Juillet' to remember an important moment in French history – the storming of la Bastille, or as we say in French, 'La Prise de la Bastille' on July 14, 1789. And 'La Bastille' was a prison in Paris. This event marked the start of the French Revolution, which, again, was a significant turning point in French history.

Now, July 14 is a public holiday in France where people may choose to participate in different activities to celebrate. So, all over France, on that day, there are parades (and there's a large military parade, called ‘Le Défilé Militaire’ on the Champs-Élysées in Paris), and in the evenings, there are concerts, fireworks, events, etc.

And if you are visiting France, especially Paris, during this time, it's also worth mentioning that there are often special discounts or sometimes even free access to certain museums, events, and historical sites too. If you want to know more about this and what to do on July 14, you can check the link I've included in the episode transcript. It's from a website called "Paris Je T'Aime," and it has information, in English or French (you can choose the language), about parades, fireworks, dances, and other events in Paris on that day. So check it out if you’re interested.

Alright! Now that we have discussed what ‘le 14 Juillet’ or Bastille Day is, let's learn some related vocabulary! And as always I'll give you a sentence in French, so you have some context too.

• Le 14 Juillet (14th of July, Bastille Day)
• Le 14 Juillet, on célèbre la Fête Nationale en France. (On July 14, we celebrate French National Day.)
• La Bastille (The Bastille)
• La Bastille était une prison située à Paris. (The Bastille was a prison located in Paris.)
• La Fête Nationale (French National Day) 🇫🇷
• La Fête Nationale est un jour ferié en France. (French National Day is a public holiday in France.)
• Les feux d'artifice (fireworks) 🎆
• Les feux d'artifice illuminent le ciel dans de nombreuses villes en France le 14 Juillet. (Fireworks light up the sky in many cities across France on July 14.)
• Le Défilé Militaire (Military Parade) 🎖️
• Le défilé militaire a lieu sur les Champs-Élysées. (The military parade takes place on the Champs-Élysées.)
• Le Bal des Pompiers (Firefighters' Ball) 🚒💃
• Après le défilé, il y a le Bal des Pompiers, un événement festif organisé par les pompiers. (After the parade, firefighters organize an event called the Firefighters' Ball.)
• La Révolution Française (The French Revolution)
• La Révolution Française a commencé en 1789. (The French Revolution began in 1789.)
• Le Drapeau Tricolore (Tricolor Flag or French Flag)
• Le drapeau français est bleu, blanc et rouge. (The French flag is blue, white, and red.)
• La Marseillaise
• La Marseillaise est l'hymne national de la France. (The Marseillaise is the national anthem of France.)
• Les bals populaires (public dances) 🕺💃
• Les bals populaires sont une tradition du 14 Juillet. (Public dances are a tradition on July 14.)
• La Prise de la Bastille (Storming of the Bastille)
• La prise de la Bastille est un événement important de la Révolution française. (The storming of the Bastille is an important event of the French Revolution.)
• Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity)
• Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité est la devise de la France. (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity is the motto of France.)

And that wraps up this episode! I hope you've enjoyed learning about le 14 Juillet, or Bastille Day!

I'll chat with you next week! À bientôt.