While all eyes are on Monday’s World Cup final, Saturday was also a monumental day for French citizens and Francophiles alike the world over.
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July 14 was the country’s national day of celebration – Bastille Day.
The day, which commemorates the storming of Paris’ Bastille Prison in 1789, is remembered for its significance in the French Revolution and the subsequent end of the country’s monarchy.
Alliance Française de Launceston celebrated the day with a luncheon event.
“Being France’s national day, today is the most important day of the year for our organisation and we’re really thrilled it fell on a Saturday, so we could make a day of it,” organisation vice president Kaitlin Roach said.
Ms Roach said she would also be celebrating France’s appearance in the World Cup final against Croatia.
She said she had followed the team’s run closely, loudly cheering on the team that is worth more than $1 billion in potential transfer fees.
“I’ll certainly be getting up and shouting, ‘allez Les Bleus’ – go the blues,” she said.
“I would have liked to have seen a France versus England game, but I still think France will win.”
While Ms Roach does not have French heritage, she said she had a strong connection with the country.
“I fell in love with the language in high school,” she said.
“It’s a really mathematical language – sentences have to balance in terms of grammar, and whether it’s plural or singular, and it sounds so beautiful.”