July 4th and Bastille Day

Apparently after all these years I’ve never done a blog about this holiday itself:  the Dead, America, etc. but not the holiday.  Go figure.

Fireworks.   Of course it’s not July 4 without fireworks, right?  And why let the professionals have all the fun?  As of now, what’s legal to buy around here (VA/DC/MD) are snakes, sparklers, and “spark fountains”.  Nothing that goes up in the air and explodes, and no firecrackers, even little ladyfingers or machine guns.  Fortunately someone in my brother’s neighborhood managed to acquire some professional grade ordnance and set it off in a cul-de-sac near his in-laws’ house.   We could watch and enjoy them while contenting ourselves with the modest but still fun range of stand-bought spark-producers.   Matt’s kids have grown old enough to enjoy it all and no longer get freaked out by the noise.

When we were kids living in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County set off fireworks over Lake Whetstone.  Our front lawn was an excellent place to view them without having to go anywhere.   Unfortunately as a VERY young child (well below 10 years old, probably closer to 3-5) the noises frightened me, so my father had to take me inside and miss the fireworks himself.  Fortunately for both of us, I outgrew that phase.

The fireworks in Washington, DC are supposed to be fantastic, but only one summer did we venture to watch them there – back in the 1990s.  While they are indeed impressive, and certainly in an impressive context of the Washington Monument, the Capitol, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, etc., the horrendously massive crowds and logistics of leaving the place before July 5 made it a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I saw a video on the Internet of one “fireworks fail” which was quite impressive.  Somehow the entire group went up simultaneously, resulting in a massive fireball like a supernova.  AWESOME.  Even that took several minutes to resolve itself.  Really, I wouldn’t call that a “FAIL”.

1976.  Since I wasn’t around in 1876, and probably won’t be around by 2076 (barring unforeseen longevity: I will be 107 by then if I live that long), this was my sole (US) centennial celebration.  I can’t remember the fireworks being any better than normal, but everywhere was red-white-blue (more so than usual) and “’76”. 

BBQs.  Unlike Christmas, July 4 is an American celebration.  I’ve yet to discern the British celebrating this: their fireworks holiday is Guy Fawkes Day in November.  Of course here in the US we celebrate with cookouts, barbecues and picnics.   I like hamburgers, but I can’t stand hotdogs.  Beer is nice; hard cider is better.

In Europe (Paris 1979-90) the issue became less clear.  For most of the time we lived there, the US Embassy in Paris held the festivities at the Boulogne compound, an apartment complex of 3 three-story buildings.  We’d chase each other around with cap guns, firecrackers (legal in France), and stay awake for the explosions.  Much fun.  Of all my memories of July 4 holiday celebrations, the Boulogne ones are my favorite.

Later on they transferred the “fun” to our school grounds at the American School of Paris.  Since I was used to school anyway, but only went to Boulogne for July 4 and Halloween, this really reduced the fun big time.  But no one asked me.

The other angle with July 4 in Paris is that 10 days later is July 14:  Bastille Day.  So we go from a US holiday celebrated by just us Americans in a closed environment, to a big holiday the entire country celebrates. Since 1789 is only 13 years after 1776 and has the same relative importance (American Revolution & French Revolution), the French treat it as their equivalent, as lustily and patriotically, and throw in fireworks too.  Their colors are red, white and blue as well (“tricolor”) so that too is identical.  We were in Paris in 1989, so we got to witness the French Bicentennial, which meant MUCH more pomp and circumstance and hearing the “Marseillaise” quite a bit more.  The French love parades as much as anyone else, so the morning of Bastille Day they romp down the Champs Elysees with their tanks, troops, troop carriers, Mirage flybys, etc. – like their version of May Day in Moscow. 

Also, as I mentioned, fireworks were legal in France.  Bastille Day was the day we could set off as many as we liked without having to face meddlesome gendarmes hassling us about the noise and explosions.  We took full advantage of that over at Bagatelle.

On July 4, 2000, I was in Rio de Janeiro, but not being assigned to the US Consulate (the embassy is in Brasilia) I was not invited to the celebrations, held at the EARJ (American School of RJ).  Never mind:  I just had to wait for New Year’s Eve, which is when the cariocas unleash their barrage of fireworks.   Very impressive.  However, the gap between the holidays is considerably more than 10 days, so France seems to be the best place outside the US to celebrate July 4.