The Alliance Française de Milton Ulladulla has many events through the year, but no event is more special than the Quatorze Juillet Lunch which was celebrated last weekend by members and friends.
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The French National Day is July 14 (le quatorze juillet in French) and is enthusiastically celebrated by French people all around the globe.
The day is more commonly known as Bastille Day in English speaking countries and is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille castle, a mediaeval fortress and garrison in Paris, on July 14, 1789.
This fortress is often portrayed as a prison by English novelists but, in fact, there were only seven prisoners on the day of the storming: two forgers, two ‘lunatics’ and one “deviant aristocrat”.
There had been another aristocrat, transferred out 10 days earlier. He could probably be considered fairly ‘deviant’. He was a certain Marquis de Sade – the source for the word sadism.
The mob having had success at breaching the munitions depot at Les Invalides, carrying off lots of muskets but, sadly, found no powder or shot.
Powder and shot had all been transferred to the Bastille over the previous few days.
So off they went to the Bastille and they succeeded in overwhelming the fortress after hours of negotiations with the Governor of the Bastille, who finally broke down and in the confusion, there was a charge and a capitulation.
In the ensuing days the Bastille was pulled down stone by stone. Ironically, due to the cost of maintaining it, a decision had already been made by the authorities to remove the Bastille to create a public space.
It was what the Bastille represented to the people which made the storming and destruction of this potent symbol of royal tyranny so significant.
Significant also, was the mutiny of the Garde Française who fell in with the rioters and made a successful storming possible. This event was the seed for the revolution, which would lead to the establishment of the first French Republic.
So, how do you celebrate the birth of a nation? Why, with a party, of course! While most members and friends of the Milton Ulladulla Alliance Française are proudly Australian, enthusiastically partying seems a pretty apt way to celebrate the creation of any nation. Besides, the outcome of the American and French revolutions very much affected how the commonwealth was born.
As for this party: Dressing in something “French” or at least sporting the famous tricolours of bleu/blanc/rouge was de rigueur.
Jean and Heather Estival of the Merry Street Restaurant at Kioloa were the generous hosts for the event.
Prawns, oysters and canapés with champagne were followed by a three course meal à la française with French wines. The meal would have impressed Louis XVI himself (well, as an appetizer – have you seen what aristocrats ate in those days?). A digestif of Jean’s aged Calvados (cider brandy) was enjoyed by those not driving.
In between courses, the annual activity, Le Quiz, was held.
This year’s theme was the Tour de France. Christine Pearce tested the depths of the members’ combined knowledge of the history of the Tour. The most common (and incorrect) answer to questions seemed to be “Cadel Evans”.
At some point in the proceedings, more or less spontaneously, one verse of the Marseillaise was sung with great vigour. Alliance member, Eugene Cernec, strapped on his mighty piano accordion and gave some very spirited renditions of suitable songs to the delight of the assembled.
Celebrations continued in the bus on its all-stops return trip to Milton.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Alliance Française de Milton Ulladulla, visit Facebook (alliancefrancaisedemiltonulladulla) or send an email to alliancemilton@gmail.com.