Europeans think Americans are loud, obnoxious and annoying, and to an extent that is true. I was able to understand their reasoning behind those statements on Bastille Day. In America, the 4th of July is a day for people to scream “USA USA USA” at the top of their lungs. Living about 30 minutes from our nation’s capitol, I have been able to experience the rowdiness that is the 4th of July in person. I was expecting a very similar dynamic here in France on Bastille Day. To my surprise I didn’t see people decked out in their nation’s colors or shotgunning a beer. Instead, I saw people picnicking on the lawn eating cheese and drinking wine and just genuinely looking like they were enjoying their day.
In America we have this habit of exploiting a holiday to the point where we don’t even remember what we’re celebrating. The people of France seem to take on a different way of celebrating. To me it felt like everyone knew what this day meant for their country and they wanted to do their ancestors justice. Instead of running around with their shirts off with the France flag painted on their chest, they just stood and watched the amazing firework display happening right next to the Eiffel Tower. Now maybe I didn’t see the crazy side of the holiday, but what I did see was very comforting.
Seeing a community where everyone was silent when those fireworks were going off, and only “oo”-ing and “ah”-ing at the appropriate moments was very peaceful and made me love Paris even more. So dad, if you’re reading this, go to France to watch fireworks so you’re not bombarded by drunk teenagers.
I really liked what you said here: “In America we have this habit of exploiting a holiday to the point where we don’t even remember what we’re celebrating. The people of France seem to take on a different way of celebrating. To me it felt like everyone knew what this day meant for their country and they wanted to do their ancestors justice.” I feel like that first sentence is really true, but I’ve just never thought about it before. One of my favorite parts of this trip is seeing the differences in culture, like you pointed out here.