France commemorates World War I centenary on Bastille Day
Soldiers carrying the flags of 76 countries marched Monday down the Champs-Elysees in Paris, as France's traditional Bastille Day military parade commemorated the centenary of World War I.- Festive balls — often mixing old-fashioned accordion tunes with trendy dance music — and fireworks are also held all over the country. And the tradition has stretched beyond French borders, with parties from New Orleans to Australia and beyond.
- The French capital enjoyed a fireworks show Monday night, exceptionally fired from the Eiffel Tower.
- Bastille Day marks the July 14, 1789, storming of the Bastille prison by angry Paris crowds that helped spark the French Revolution.
- IMD officials said rains are expected to continue over the parts of south interior Karnataka, including Bengaluru, but the intensity will come down.
- Some members of the French far right and Algerian independence movement objected to their presence, because memories of Algeria's war for independence remain painful on both sides of the Mediterranean a half-century later.
- Among the international visitors marched representatives of former French colonies, paying homage to the 600,000 colonial soldiers who served on France's side during World War I, mainly from Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Senegal.
- The toppled tanker being removed from the road on Wednesday (Photo: DC)
- While young people from all invited countries closed Monday's ceremony with a peace dance and a release of doves, the annual event is also about demonstrating France's military might.
- A French army choir interpreted two popular songs of the Poilus — one telling the story of soldiers flirting with a pretty waitress in a tavern — before raising their voices in the national anthem, "La Marseillaise."
- The ceremony echoed the first celebration of Bastille Day after the end of what was then known as "The Great War," in 1919. "The war's wounded were at the forefront of the parade in their wheelchairs ... We celebrated the greatness of the French
- Representational image
- "Ten million soldiers were killed or died of their injuries on countless battlefields. We owe them gratitude," President Francois Hollande said in a message ahead of the march. The message took on special meaning amid renewed violence in Gaza and
- Dreamliner aircraft 787-9 prepares for Paris Air Show (Photo: Youtube grab)
Soldiers carrying the flags of 76 countries marched Monday down the Champs-Elysees in Paris, as France's traditional Bastille Day military parade commemorated the centenary of World War I.
France commemorates World War I centenary on Bastille Day
Next Story
