Perhaps it may seem absurd to specify it, but a national holiday is unique in that it is national. That is to say, it is specific to a country for historical reasons. In France, it’s July 14. This public holiday was established in 1880 to commemorate the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, an emblematic episode of the French Revolution which symbolized the end of the absolute monarchy. The Belgians, whom we like a lot by the way, have nothing to do with it. And yet, on Thursday, the Walloon city of Tournai, a stone’s throw from Lille, will sing The Marseillaise.
It’s well known, Northerners and Walloons are like ass and shirts, in particular because of a geographical proximity that no border comes in the way. We live in one while working in the other, we buy our cigarettes on one side and our gasoline on the other, we get married, we optimize fiscally, in short, we maintain good neighborly relations. Even communities are cooperating on both sides of the border. So when one celebrates, so does the other. For July 14, therefore, Tournai “cradle of Clovis, is adorned with blue, white, red” as indicated by the local tourist office.
Exchange of good practices
The basic idea is to take advantage of this holiday with their neighbors to invite them “to discover the city of 5 bell towers”. A special guided tour (5 euros), with an evocative name, has been developed for the occasion: “Eine visit to the faceon of ichi”. It will be done by guides who speak the “Tournaisian Picard dialect”. Other visits more linguistically accessible, including one on the city’s monuments and another by small train. There will even be a concert of French classics, including The Marseillaiseinterpreted at the carillon.
Exchange of good practices, the city of Lille will give back to its neighbors on the occasion of their Belgian National Day, July 21. Except that we are doing things big since it will be over several days, between July 18 and 23. The city is a stakeholder, as well as the tourist office and… the Lille trade federation. Inevitably, a good neighbor is even better received if he consumes a little!