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Happy July 14 with the origin of this French holiday and the poem July 14th Celebration in the forest by Victor Hugo

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I wish you all a Happy July 14 with the origin of this French holiday and the poem July 14th celebration in the forest by Victor Hugo translated in English.

Origin of the current celebration

On 30 June 1878, a grand celebration was conducted in Paris to commemorate the French Republic, an event subsequently depicted by Claude Monet. Another notable festivity occurred on 14 July 1879, which included a reception in the Chamber of Deputies presided over by Léon Gambetta, alongside a Republican Feast held in the Pré Catelan. The publication Le Figaro remarked that citizens throughout France observed the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille with various celebratory feasts.

Monet-montorgueil
Monet-montorgueil

In 1880, the Third Republic sought to revive the celebration of the 14 July festival, with the support of politician Léon Gambetta and scholar Henri Baudrillant. On 21 May 1880, Benjamin Raspail submitted a legislative proposal, which garnered the endorsement of sixty-four members of the government, advocating for the recognition of 14 July as an annual national festival. Extensive debates ensued regarding alternative dates for the national holiday, including 4 August, 5 May, 27 July, and 21 January. Ultimately, the government elected to designate 14 July, notwithstanding the fact that the events associated with that date had been deemed illegal under the previous regime, thereby presenting a challenge to the legitimacy of the Third Republic. French politicians additionally endeavored to dissociate the holiday from the bloodshed and class conflict associated with the storming of the Bastille. Instead, they reframed it as a commemoration of the Fête de la Fédération on 14 July 1789 and the storming of the Bastille. The Assembly ratified the proposal on 21 May and 8 June, and the law was formalized on 27 and 29 June, rendering the celebration officially established on 6 July 1880.

Célébration du 14 juillet dans la forêt
Victor Hugo		July 14th celebration in the forest
Victor Hugo
Qu’il est joyeux aujourd’hui,How joyful it is today,
Le chêne aux rameaux sans nombre,The oak with its countless branches,
Mystérieux point d’appuiMysterious support point
De toute la forêt sombre !Of the whole dark forest!
Comme quand nous triomphons,As when we triumph,
Il frémit, l’arbre civique ;It trembles, the civic tree;
Il répand à plis profondsIt spreads in deep folds
Sa grande ombre magnifique.Its great magnificent shadow.
D’où lui vient cette gaîté ?Where does this gaiety come from?
D’où vient qu’il vibre et se dresse,Why does it vibrate and stand up,
Et semble faire à l’étéAnd seem to give summer
Une plus fière caresse ?A prouder caress?
C’est le quatorze juillet.It is the fourteenth of July.
À pareil jour, sur la terreOn such a day, on earth
La liberté s’éveillaitLiberty awoke
Et riait dans le tonnerre.And laughed in the thunder.
Peuple, à pareil jour râlaitPeople, on such a day rattled
Le passé, ce noir pirate ;The past, that black pirate;
Paris prenait au colletParis took
La Bastille scélérate.the wicked Bastille by the collar.
À pareil jour, un décret On such a day, a decree
Chassait la nuit de la France,Chased the night from France,
Et l’infini s’éclairaitAnd infinity lit up
Du côté de l’espérance.On the side of hope.
Continuer la lecture …Continue reading …

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One thought on “Happy July 14 with the origin of this French holiday and the poem July 14th Celebration in the forest by Victor Hugo”

  1. Pingback: Joyeux 14 juillet avec l’origine de cette fête française et le poème Célébration du 14 juillet dans la forêt de Victor Hugo – AKirill, Learn, apprenez, translation, traduction, livres bilingues, bilingual books

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