Football, patriotism and fun mark French National Day celebrations

City Beautiful that shares a close bond with France celebrated Bastille Day with enthusiasm.
French National Day, also called Bastille Day, garners great hype across the globe every year. However, this year, it reached another level, as sporting thrill mixed with patriotic flair and brought people out on roads in France to root for their nation. The annual day on Saturday coincided with the summit clash of FIFA World Cup, held in Moscow of Sunday, where France beat Croatia (4-2) to lift their second World Cup trophy.Last, they were crowned world champions in 1998. A bit of the patriotic fervor seen in Paris and other French cities was also reflected in Chandigarh, which shares a close bond with France (it was designed by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier). Gala celebrations at Alliance Française de Chandigarh in Sector 36 marked the event.
Going by this year’s theme—Brotherhood of arms in uniform: the commitment of a lifetime— the French centre recognized the efforts of soldiers and conducted events to mark the day, which commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris on July 14, 1789, also the start of the French Revolution.
Nearly 150 students and members of Alliance Française were in a jubilant mood, decked up in the French national colors— blue, white, and red. While French flavor filled the air, posters were raised explaining the significance of the flag’s colours. The four-hour function included workshops on French art and culture, in which students created a city model to show architecturally rich heritage through monuments and buildings. Other workshops stressed on music, theatre, cuisines of France. Apart from the cake cutting ceremony, what turned out to be the most colorful aspect was balloon releasing ceremony. The festive moments had everyone talking about the World Cup final.