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at choice, Bastille Day, freedom, French National Day July 14th, Healthy Happy Loving Life, positive living, UpBeat Living
© 2022 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM. World Rights Reserved. http://www.kebba.com
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Happy Bastille Day! July 14th is the anniversary of the storming of a fortress called The Bastille, in Paris, in 1789. This day has become a freedom holiday, celebrated with fireworks the night before, and on the 14th, every festival activity you can think of. This holiday is also called French National Day (Fete Nationale), or The Fourteenth of July (Quatorze Juillet).
Many have passed the story that the Bastille was a prison, and a mob broke into the prison to set political and economic prisoners free. However, at that time, the Bastille was mainly a fortress where munitions were stored, and only a few political prisoners were typically held. On the day of the storming of the Bastille, there were exactly 7 prisoners: four forgers, the Comte de Solanges (being held for a “sexual misdemeanor”), and two mentally ill men. One of the two mentally ill men was an English or Irish man who had a very long beard and thought he was Julius Caesar. Yes, the prisoners were set free, with the overtaking of the fortress.
However, think of this day more as the 1789 kickoff of the French Revolution and a new life for France. The economy under King Louis XVI (Sixteenth) was suffering, and Louis was a weak king. The rich were deep in financial excess and luxury living, while the general populace was suffering. So what the stormers of the Bastille really wanted was to seize the munitions, to stage a coup. Eventually, they not only took over the country, but they beheaded King Louis, and later they beheaded his famous wife, Marie Antoinette.
Today, you cannot go visit the Bastille. It was completely dismantled and the stones dispersed! Some of the stones went into street paving and some into other buildings. Some stones were taken as souvenirs (and I would have taken one for sure). Today there is an elegant monument where the fortress stood. And pieces of the stone works are highlighted around the City, for example, in a subway station.
So this day is the day when the life of France pivoted on an action by the people. The monarchy was out, and popular rule was in. Some see this movement as related to the momentum for the American Colonies to separate from England, a few years earlier. And look what happened on that continent!
So happy French National Day! Think of your own freedoms, and give thanks for them! And that will be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Lifesm!
In my daily series this month, I hope to strongly convince you that positive living is the way to be, and that it results in greater health and happiness and joy. Plus, it’s more fun! And that would be me and you, shaping our lives anew, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Lifesm!
Kebba Buckley Button is a stress/energy management expert, holistic healer, and award-winning author who celebrates life. She has a longtime natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. Among her books are: Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), Inspirations for Peace Within: Quotes and Images to Uplift and Inspire, and Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine. The books are available on Amazon and through Kebba’s office. They are also available in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the Franciscan Renewal Center bookstore and at the bookstore at St. Barnabas on the Desert Episcopal Church. Or simply email us to order: kebba@kebba.com . Thank you!
Books by Kebba Buckley Button
Healthy Happy Loving Life! 