![Fireworks light up around the Eiffel Tower during a choreographed firework and drone show to celebrate Bastille Day, in Paris, Monday. (AFP-Yonhap)]](https://contents-cdn.viewus.co.kr/image/2025/07/CP-2023-0309/30648637.jpg)
PARIS (AP) — Swooping warplanes, axe-wielding warriors, a dazzling drone light show over the Eiffel Tower, and fireworks illuminating nearly every French town — it can only mean one thing: Bastille Day.
On July 14, 1789, Parisians stormed the Bastille fortress and prison, igniting the French Revolution that toppled the monarchy. In the two centuries since, France has witnessed Napoleon’s empire rise and fall, endured multiple uprisings, and survived two world wars before establishing the current Fifth Republic in 1958.
Today, Bastille Day stands as a cornerstone of modern France, a celebration of democratic freedoms and national pride that blends revolutionary spirit with military might.
The Paris parade beneath the Arc de Triomphe left such an impression on visiting U.S. President Donald Trump in 2017 that it inspired him to organize his own parade this year.
The spectacle began on the ground, with French President Emmanuel Macron reviewing the troops and rekindling the eternal flame beneath the Arc de Triomphe.
Each parade uniform tells a story. The French Foreign Legion contingent stood out with its bearded soldiers donning leather aprons and wielding axes, a nod to their historical role as route clearers for advancing armies.
Near the parade’s end, a Republican Guard officer fell from one of the 200 horses, but the national gendarmerie confirmed both rider and horse were unharmed. Such incidents occasionally occur during this annual event.
The Paris celebration featured fighter jets soaring overhead, trailing red, white, and blue smoke. As night fell, a drone light show and fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower capped off the festivities, growing more elaborate with each passing year.
Annually, France invites a special guest for Bastille Day. This year, it was Indonesia, represented by President Prabowo Subianto, leader of the world’s largest Muslim nation and a key Asian economic and military player.
Indonesian troops, including 200 traditional drummers, joined Monday’s parade. The visit is expected to yield announcements of new Indonesian purchases of Rafale fighter jets and other French military equipment. Prabowo, despite facing accusations of human rights abuses under Indonesia’s previous dictatorship, will be treated to a special holiday dinner at the Elysee Palace.
\”For us as Indonesian people, this is a very important and historic military and diplomatic collaboration,\” said Brig. Gen. Ferry Irawan, commander of the Indonesian military delegation.
Finnish troops serving in the UN force in Lebanon, along with Belgian and Luxembourg troops in a NATO force in Romania, also marched through Paris, highlighting the event’s increasingly international character.
Among the invited guests was Fousseynou Samba Cisse, a 39-year-old Parisian who rescued two babies from a burning apartment earlier this month. He received a last-minute invitation via phone call from Macron himself.
\”I wasn’t expecting that call,\” he told online media outlet Brut. \”I feel pride.\”
Beyond the military pageantry in Paris, concerns about global uncertainties loom large. On Bastille Day eve, Macron announced an additional 6.5 billion euros ($7.6 billion) in French military spending over the next two years, citing new threats ranging from Russia to terrorism and cyberattacks. The French leader called for intensified efforts to protect Europe and support Ukraine.
\”Since 1945, our freedom has never been so threatened, and never so seriously,\” Macron stated. \”We are witnessing a return of nuclear threats and a proliferation of major conflicts.\”
Security measures were exceptionally tight in and around Paris before and during the parade.
This time of year, France also bestows special awards, including the prestigious Legion of Honor, on notable individuals. This year’s recipients include Gisele Pelicot, who became a global hero for victims of sexual violence during a four-month trial in which her husband and dozens of men were convicted of sexually assaulting her while she was drugged unconscious.
Other honorees include Yvette Levy, a Holocaust survivor and French Resistance fighter, musician Pharrell Williams, and a designer for Louis Vuitton.
Beyond the pomp and circumstance, Bastille Day serves as a time for family gatherings, firefighters’ balls, and rural festivals throughout France.
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