What’s happening in Uzès on July 14? I set out with my camera to see how the French celebrate in this small town. It’s all about family, food, dancing and fireworks. This year, it was also about brocante. A hundred or more brocante dealers showed off their best wares in the town’s parking lot — a beautiful spot overlooking the valley.
Brocante in Uzes, France
Uzès, France July 14, cafes in town were packed with visitors, couples, and families eating, drinking, and enjoying their long weekend holiday.
All waiting for the music and dancing …
And the fireworks.
Here are some interesting facts about the July 14 French holiday:
1- French don’t call the holiday “Bastille Day”?
It’s called “July 14”, just like “July 4” in the States. The formal name is La Fête Nationale (The National Celebration).
2- “Storming the Bastille” was not all about freeing political prisoners.
Rebels freed four crooks, two “lunatics,” and, according to Wikipedia, one “deviant” aristocrat. The Bastille was chosen as the target of the rebellion because it symbolizes the abusive monarchy — a place stocked with weapons and ammunition.
3- The French Revolution was not the beginning of an independent French republic.
The French Revolution of 1787 is considered by historians a significant step toward establishing the concept of “independent republics.” The world saw the uprising of the people of France as an example to create their own political change;
The French, however, were anything but “independent” afterward. They endured years of terror led by Roperpeare’s government and, later, a military empire led by Napolean. The Thee Third Republic in 1870 gave way to France’s national elections and political parties.
Charles de Gaulle founded the French Fifth Republic and was its first president from 1959 to 1969.
