PARIS (AP) — On Sunday, France's national holiday, Paris will welcome a special guest: the Olympic torch, which will light a spectacular Bastille Day military parade.
The torch relay will join thousands of soldiers, sailors, rescuers and medical workers marching through Paris under roaring fighter jets to mark Bastille Day, just 12 days before the French capital opens its hugely ambitious and heavily guarded Summer Olympics.
As people across France celebrate the day with concerts, parties and fireworks, we take a look at what the holiday is all about and what's different this year.
What does Bastille Day celebrate?
On July 14, 1789, revolutionaries stormed the Bastille fortress and prison in Paris, marking the beginning of the French Revolution and the end of monarchy.
The holiday is a central part of the French calendar and sees celebrations across the country. It is meant to embody the national motto of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,” but not all French people feel the country is living up to its promises.
The Paris parade is the highlight of the holiday, which this year pays tribute to those who liberated France from Nazi occupation 80 years ago and includes a re-enactment of the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944 and a display of the coats of arms of the armies of 31 countries that contributed to the liberation, around half of which are African countries that were under French colonial rule during World War II.
Who is participating?
The meticulously choreographed procession will involve some 4,000 people and 162 horses, including troops from NATO missions in Eastern Europe, fighting Islamic militants in the Sahel, defending French territories in the South Pacific and maritime corridors around the world, and this year three German officers from the Transborder Brigade.
Decorative uniforms are rich with symbolism, most notably those of the French Foreign Legion's engineers, with their long beards, leather aprons and axes, a reference to their original role in clearing a path for the advancing army.
In the skies, 65 aircraft will fly in formation, including British Typhoon fighter jets, French Mirage and Rafale jets, rescue helicopters and planes used for missions from Afghanistan to Mali and international drug busts.
It will be presided over by President Emmanuel Macron and dozens of senior officials.
Due to security measures for the Olympics, there will be a smaller number of police officers on duty than last year, with around 130,000 in force across France over the long weekend.
What is the political context?
This year's Bastille Day will offer Macron a chance to distract from the political turmoil he caused with early elections that have weakened his pro-business centrist party and his presidency.
That has left parliament in a deadlock with no clear mandate for responsibility: The prime minister could step down within days and the top-winning left-wing coalition has yet to agree on a proposed successor.
Meanwhile, Russia's war with Ukraine threatens European security. Speaking to military leaders on Saturday, Macron said France would continue to support Ukraine and called for increased defense spending next year, citing the looming threat.
What's different this year?
The Olympic torch relay arrived in Paris just in time.
The parade ends with the arrival of the torch, escorted by horseback riders, 25 torch bearers and cadets who form the shape of Olympic rings.
The parade usually takes place from the Napoleonic Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde, where the last King and Queen of France were beheaded.
This year, Concorde has been transformed into a giant Olympic venue for breakdancing, skateboarding and BMX, so the parade route will instead head through the Bois de Boulogne park on the edge of the city.
Construction of the Olympic venues around the Eiffel Tower has also prevented spectators from gathering at the base of the tower to watch the annual fireworks show.
After its debut on Bastille Day, the torch relay is due to head to other Paris landmarks on Monday, passing through Notre Dame Cathedral, the historic Sorbonne university and the Louvre museum.
___
Follow AP’s Olympics coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games.
