Janine: Bonjour and welcome to The Good Life France podcast. I’m Janine Marsh, I’m a writer of books, editor of a magazine and the Forrest Gump of travel writing about France, I started about 10 years ago and couldn’t stop! I’m a Brit, a Londoner as you can probably tell from my accent, but I now live in France, in the middle of nowhere in the far north of France, a place called the 7 Valleys. My village is tiny, about 150 people and 1000 cows, no shops and no bars, and I frequently leave my other half here to look after our 60 animals while I travel all over France seeking more wonderful places to share with you.
In this podcast I’ll be sharing everything you want to know about France and more with my podcast partner Olivier Jauffrit…
Olivier: Hello partner Janine, hello everyone. I’m Oli. I am Janine opposite: a French man who lives in the UK. But I go back to France often. Last week, I was in Paris and went to one of my favourite areas again: Montmartre. Some say that there is a village in every big city in the world. Or that’s only me saying that. Not sure. Anyway, for Paris it is Montmartre. A must see. It’s different. You don’t feel like being in a big city at all in Montmartre. And the view… is premium. And the music is everywhere… Top tip: it’s one of the best areas of Paris to celebrate Bastille Day.
And I believe that this is our topic today Janine… Bastille Day. Best transition ever!
Janine: Yes Bastille Day it is! And before you say what is that any French people listening, bear with me as we’ll be revealing what it’s all about, why it’s called that, the history, the legends and lots of fun facts…
So let’s kick off with – what is Bastille Day? But first I have to tell you that in France this most important national holiday which is held on 14th July, is not called Bastille Day at all. It’s called, rather unimaginatively - quatorze Juillet, 14th July in English. Or it’s called Fete Nationale – National fete or National Holiday.
Olivier: Yes it’s true if you say Happy Bastille Day to a French person – they will not know what you are talking about! We never say that. And we never understand why English-speaking countries call it that!
Janine: I will reveal all later! But first, lets talk about what 14th July in France is all about… Over to Professor Oli for a history lesson…
Olivier: Thank you my dear student. This famous event, which was to start a change to the course of history, took place at a time of great difficulty for France. Enormous sums of money had been spent on wars (nothing new there, is it?). And of course, it was the ordinary people who paid for these wars and got little or nothing back in return. Tax after tax – always increasing so that the royal coffers could be filled.
Meanwhile, life for the common man was difficult, lack of money, lack of food because there has been bad harvests, which led to flour shortages, lack of much comfort on a daily basis, etc… People were miserable. But the royal family, King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette (and the rich nobles who ruled) continued to live their indulged and gilded existence, it seemed that they were oblivious to the suffering of the ordinary people.
And, to say the least, I am not happy about that at all. That’s why I’m going to demonstrate on the street right after that recording, just for the sake of complaining. It’s never too late.
Janine: I read that on the day that the Bastille was stormed in Paris, Louis XVI who liked to keep a diary, wrote for that day “nothing”. He was referring to his day’s hunting, the most important thing to him. Not a word about what went on in Paris. So yes, I think the rich and the powerful must have been oblivious.
Olivier: No one can really pinpoint what actually made everything kick off on the 14th July 1789. The King had recently sacked his finance minister who was quite popular as he had suggested that the royal family try to budget to save money, and there were rumours that a new parliamentary body which was believed to be more on the side of the ordinary man would be stopped.
Janine: And everyone knows about the popular myth that when the Queen, Marie Antoinette was told of bread shortages in Paris she stated "then let them eat cake" - but there is absolutely no proof that she said this at all and in fact, it was claimed that an earlier queen said this too.
Olivier: What is known is that on that day, a crowd gathered, some had guns, and the angry mob which got bigger and bigger, marched to the Bastille to obtain powder for the guns. The Bastille was then a medieval fortress which served as a prison and a warehouse for munitions and gun powder, and also for bread grain.
Negotiations between the governor of the Bastille and the spokesmen of the mob quickly escalated into an angry shouting match and the Bastille guards opened fire killing hundreds of people. A rescue team was called to support the guards and hold the Bastille but they unexpectedly decided to side with the crowd. Good men. The Bastille was surrendered after a fight and the building was destroyed. This day started a chain of action that would lead to the execution of the majority of the aristocracy of France including the royal family and there would be years of turmoil and horror from which would emerge a new rule. Boom! That’s how we do things in France. So now you understand the strikes, the demonstrations, the complaining and probably many other behaviours that are said to be very French too.
Janine: When the King was informed of the happenings at the Bastille he asked "is this a revolt?" and he was told "No Majesty, this is a revolution".
So 14th July, Bastille Day, as we know it now, essentially celebrates the French Revolution and we’re going to explain more about why, how and what. But before we do that we need to talk about what caused the French Revolution and it was a number of things but one of the major issues was to do with bread.
Olivier: Of course it was. We French do love our bread! Nobody, and I mean… nobody… is allowed to change that.
Janine: Indeed – apparently 98% of the French eat bread every day! But in the old days, bread was seriously important, it was a main food for the poor who spent up to half their daily wage on bread alone. Grain and bread riots were really common, people protested against the price, or lack of grain, or how the bread was made and sometimes these riots spilled out across entire regions – just 14 years before there had been 300 riots in just 3 weeks over a lack of bread. In fact, the riots that resulted in the fall of the Bastille on 14th July 1789 and helped start the French Revolution began not just as a search for arms but for grain too. The bad harvest saw price rises go so high that people were spending up to 90% on bread, they didn’t have enough left for coat for their fires, for medicine, clothes, meat or anything
Olivier: Yes it’s true, Parisian peasants – rightly – suspected that merchants and bakers had hoarding grain in anticipation of higher prices, and took to the streets to protest. They even thought the King was hoarding grain and that the nobility were deliberately trying to starve the mases.
Janine: Later the government that was formed after the Revolution definitely learned their lesson, one of their goals was to make sure everyone had quality bread every day. In 1793, the Convention (the post-Revolution government) created a new law which stated:
“Richness and poverty must both disappear from the government of equality. It will no longer make a bread of wheat for the rich and a bread of bran for the poor. All bakers will be held, under the penalty of imprisonment, to make only one type of bread: The Bread of Equality.”
Olivier: For the rest of that year the revolution simmered and on 5 and 6 of October, a mob marched on the palace of Versailles. It started in the market places of Paris where the women were complaining about the lack of bread again and the prices and they just had enough of a King who wasn’t doing anything to make things better for them so it’s known as the March of the Women. About 7000 people, men and women by then, marched and… it was this that delivered the death blow for the French Monarchy.
Janine: It was a rainy day and it takes about 6 hours to walk from Paris to Versailles, the crowd were exhausted when they got there, and drenched. It was a complicated time, speeches were made and meetings were held and promises made but it didn’t seem to calm the crowd. The next morning a mob broke into the palace and went for Marie-Antoinette apparently saying they would tear out her heard, cut off her head and fricassee her liver. She ran and hid managing to escape from them but the crowd insisted the royal family go to Paris. And off they went and after that the Tuileries Palace in Paris became their gilded prison though they had an element of freedom – but could not leave. That day Versailles was boarded up to keep looters out and essentially it was the end of the monarchy though they lasted a while longer.
A few days after that, a certain Doctor Guillotin proposed his fun new scientific device.
Olivier: Over the course of the French Revolution which didn’t end for another 10 years in all, tens of thousands of people were guillotined to death. Some of the leaders who directed France during the revolutionary years, like Maximilien Robespierre, a bourgeois lawyer, triggered the bloodiest chapter of the French Revolution, known as the Reign of Terror from 1793-1794.
Robespierre was not a nice man, and very odd, he replaced Catholicism with a so-called religion called the “Cult of the Supreme Being” – and made himself head of it. It’s estimated more than 40,000 people died during the Reign of Terror, either executed or murdered. The guillotine worked overtime, and it was fast. It had lots of nicknames like Madame la Guillotine, the Widow, the Patriotic Shortener, the National Razor, the Regretful Climb, and the Silence Mill. Louis XVI was beheaded on 28th January 1793 after a trial in which his own cousin voted for his death (Family huh?!). The execution took place in what is now Place de la Concorde.
Janine: It’s said that people dipped their handkerchiefs in his blood and sold locks of his hair as souvenirs. One handkerchief was found more than 200 years later, hidden in a dried squash.
Olivier: Nine months later Marie-Antoinette followed. Her last words were “Pardonnez-moi, monsieur. Je ne l'ai pas fait expres” in English “Pardon monsieur, I did not do it on purpose” when she accidentally trod on the executioner’s foot. Fun fact for you: that guy was the same man who had killed her husband.
Janine: Poor woman. Marie Antoinette’s remains were taken to a graveyard behind the Church of Madeleine about half a mile north, but the gravediggers were taking a lunch break. That gave Marie Grosholtz — later known as Madame Tussaud — enough time to make a wax imprint of Marie-Antoinette’s face before she was placed in an unmarked grave. Madame Tussaud made many wax models during the Revolution, including the King and Robespierre, she had been art teacher to the King’s sister and later moved to London where she set up a museum with all her waxworks – you can see the mask there to this day.
It could have been so different – Louis and Marie Antoinette nearly escaped…
Olivier: Yes they did. American royalists offered to try to help them escape, on a ship to America. The Captain of a ship was found – a Captain Clough, and he wrote to his wife in Maine telling her to get the house ready for the Queen, and apparently she told all her friends and everyone bought new dresses ready for their big moment.
The escape plan is known as the Flight to Varennes and the royal family bundled into a coach on 20th June 1791, and left Paris but they didn’t get very far. The king was a bit of a ditherer and delayed things, plus he apparently made them late as he wanted to drink wine and eat cheese which kind of nails the whole problem of the royal family in France really.
Their coach broke down and unlucky for them, someone recognised the King from his likeness on a coin. And it really was the nail in the coffin so to speak for their future. So the escape plan failed and the ship left laden with royal belongings – furniture and fabrics and paintings and suchlike. Mrs Clough papered her house with the royal paper and filled it with furniture and it became known as the Marie Antoinette house.
Janine: And now back to that very first question – why do we call it Bastille Day? And I know the answer to this because last year I said Happy Bastille Day to Bread Man – who is not, like it sounds, a man made of Bread, but the man who delivers bread to all the little villages in the 7 Valleys where I live in rural northern France. Anyway he said, “what are you talking about?” because as you said Oli, French people have no idea what that means. So here’s why we call it that according to Bread Man who also is a history fan!
14th July isn’t just about the storming of the Bastille which kickstarted the French Revolution in 1789. For the French it’s also about what happened the year after – again on 14 July, when a one-off national holiday was declared known as the Fete de la Fédération. A mass gathered in Paris to attend a military parade led by the Marquis de Lafyette – the one who sailed to America to help in the American Revolution, and the King and Queen swore an oath of loyalty to the nation.
When it was agreed almost 100 years later to have an annual public holiday to commemorate the French Revolution in some way, various dates and reasons were highlighted – for instance someone suggested 28th January would be good as that was the day that Louis XVI was beheaded in 1793. But in the end, they went for July 14 – the date of two major events. However, it was never clear which was the exact one that was being celebrated!
Olivier: Clearly English speakers decided which one of the dates excited them more, the bloodthirsty one!
Janine: Bread Man, the man who delivers my bread, says that for him 14th July is all about the bread as it’s a symbol of equality thanks to the French Revolution! But how is it really celebrated today? Well actually the festivities start the night before on the 13th of July and for some, this is the best bit because all over France there are Bals de pompiers, firemen's balls hosted at fire stations and anyone can go along and join in the dancing and party… but why, you might well be asking me, are do firemen hold balls? It’s a long-standing tradition in France that officially began in 1937 when a group of people followed firefighters back from a fête nationale parade! At our local fire station it’s very much a family affair, but I hear that at some there are firemen prancing about a la Chippendale style! It’s all about fund raising though, so all in a good cause.
Olivier: Oh yes, about that Janine. I know where those happens, I’ll tell you off air… And then the next day is the big day, one of the most important days of the year… It’s time for French people to go a little bit wild and have fun. Almost all French towns will have some sort of celebrations, from parades to fetes and concerts and dinner. Fireworks are also a big part of the celebration. Paris of course has a major display but many other smaller towns and cities will have big displays too, often paired with music. And of course one song in particular celebrates the French Revolution… La Marseillaise – called that as it was sung in Paris by revolutionaries from Marseille. It became the anthem of the revolution, the words then were different and insulted the King and Queen. It was adopted as the French National Anthem in 1795.
Janine: Gives me goosebumps that. Ironically it’s said that Marie-Antoinette also liked this tune and used to play it on her harpsichord.
National holidays are taken on the day on which they fall – if that’s a Sunday, tough, you don’t get Monday off as a bank holiday – and that includes 14th July.
It’s one of my favourite holidays in France, there’s always an antiques fair during the day in Montreuil-sur-Mer, a lovely medieval hill top town near where I live and in the evening there’s a party atmosphere and fireworks are let off over the ramparts, and there’s always a party at my local town hall, everyone is happy and relaxed. Pretty much wherever you go people are celebrating on 14th July!
Olivier: Bastille Day, or I should say Le 14 juillet, before my French friends and family behead me… is a real family event in France. Everybody goes out. It’s a bit like Christmas for small kids for instance. You have the permission, for once, to stay out late, to party, to have whatever food you want, probably a bit of alcohol too and you just have a great time. Altogether, safely, until the fireworks and sometimes even later.
The Fete Nationale in France is when people who don’t dance, dance. It’s when people who usually go to bed early, don’t. It’s when those people who always say that they don’t like to party, do. And also, it’s when you discover for the first time that your grand ma is the queen of the waltz and your grand pa, the king of the tango. It’s a genuinely great family event.
So now you know everything you need to know, and more, about Bastille Day. You can celebrate it with us you know wherever you are. You don’t need to be in France for that. You just need to decorate a bit your garden, French style, with some French food and wine, and also, you can listen to Paris Chanson for the French music (details coming up at the end of this episode).
But now it’s time for a listener’s question.
Q&A
Olivier: So Janine – what have we been asked?
Janine: Our question today is from Konstance Koutoulakis of Toronto Canada who incidentally says she finds our podcast brilliant to listen to when she needs to declutter. Well I wish it had the same effect on me Konstance because I am a clutter bug! Anyway her question is “Fashion week. I don't understand. I've seen on Youtube different outfits by famous designers walking down these catwalks. Most of these outfits I see I wouldn't be caught dead in (even if I had the money to buy them!) Do the French actually wear these strange and bizarre outfits?”
Well what a brilliant question Konstance and I can tell you that though you cannot see Oli he is in fact not dressed in the latest designer gear though he is French! But we’ll ask him what he thinks. So Oli, is it true or false that the French wear the sometimes downright weird and bizarre outfits that fashion designers send down the catwalks at fashion shows?
Olivier: Well. Am I the right person to talk about Fashion in general? Not sure… But, I’ll try…
France as you may know, is famous throughout the world and beyond for its fashion credentials and for being the centre of haute couture. And French designers are the best of course! But really Konstance I think most French people do not wear these sometimes strange outfits you see on YouTube, they are designed to get attention but I think if you was to wear these things and get on the Metro you would get some very strange looks. Mostly French fashion is about timeless, classic well-made pieces that you can hold onto for years, decades even, and still feel good wearing them rather than filling your closet space with trendy, must have this season pieces.
Janine: I agree totally. I mean I do sometimes see in Paris that some people wear weird and wonderful outfits but in my little village, everyone wears work overalls during the day with a cap or beret – men and women, and also what we call housecoats are really popular, a sort of apron with sleeves to keep your clothes clean – I live in a farming community so we’re a bit different from city and town living. But absolutely, French fashion is about being stylish but mostly about feeling good – not sticking out because you’re wearing massive puff sleeves that won’t go through your front door!
And I think one of the most stylish icons of French fashion was Marie-Antoinette herself. She left her homeland of Austria and arrived in Paris aged 14 and it’s fair to say that she embraced fashion wholeheartedly. She loved clothes, jewellery, hats, shoes and big hair. She made what they called the ‘pouf’ style popular – pads and cushions created structure for lofty, gravity-defying up-dos, and then you’d stick feathers, ribbons, jewels, ornaments and, in one case, a model ship on your head – anything up to a metre high – a total fire hazard in the candle-lit palace – but you know fashion finds its victims. It’s said she purchased 300 dresses a year and never wore the same thing twice, and she had up to 500 pairs of shoes in her closet. It’s said that her yearly budget for clothes was the equivalent of 3.6 million dollars today, and that she often spent double that. I reckon she might well have gone for the weird and wonderful catwalk looks of today if she was live now.
Olivier: Thanks for this great question Konstance. If you also have a question for us – feel free to send it to janine@thegoodlifefrance.com or via our podcast newsletter.
CONCLUSION
Thank you so much for listening to our podcast, please feel free to share it with your friends – the more the merrier.
You have been listening to Olivier Jauffrit and Janine Marsh. You can find me at parischanson.fr
Janine: And you can find me at thegoodlifefrance.com where you can subscribe to the podcast, my weekly newsletter about France and my fabulous, free magazine which is also at magazine.thegoodlifefrance.com
But for now, it’s au revoir from me.
Olivier: And goodbye from me.
Janine: Speak to you soon!
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