What exactly is Bastille Day?

France has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the annual Bastille Day parade in Paris in July.
Every year on July 14, France celebrates its National Day, also known as Bastille Day.
The day, known as La Fete Nationale or Le 14 Juillet in French, is marked by pyrotechnics and a parade.
One of the most significant days in French history, it commemorates the collapse of the Bastille, a military fortress and political prison that was once regarded as a symbol of the monarchy and armoury.

The fall of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, is widely considered the beginning of the French Revolution.
The Bastille was a fortress prison in the centre of Paris that had come to represent royal tyranny and oppression.
Parisians were growing increasingly dissatisfied with the ruling monarch, King Louis XVI, whom they saw as a weak and ineffectual leader.
On July 14, 1789, a large crowd assembled in front of the Bastille, demanding the release of political prisoners as well as the confiscation of the fortress’s arms and ammunition.
The Governor of the Bastille declined to surrender the fortress, resulting in a violent clash between Parisians and Bastille defenders.
The Bastille fell after several hours of fierce combat, and the people of Paris stormed the fortress.

The fall of the Bastille was a watershed event in French history, symbolising the people’s victory over the monarchy and the end of the old regime.
The event also signalled the start of a time of intense violence and social upheaval in France, as revolutionaries seized power and established a new order.

The fall of the Bastille, a symbol of the oppressive monarchy, was a watershed moment in the French Revolution, inspiring other countries to battle for their rights and freedom.
The revolution resulted in the abolition of feudalism, the Declaration of Man’s and Citizen’s Rights, and the creation of the First French Republic.
The French Revolutionary principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity had a profound effect on the world’s political and social landscape.
Throughout history, these ideals have influenced many other revolutionary movements.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bastille-Day