Armistice Day, France

Armistice Day in France or Jour de l'Armistice de 1918 is a public holiday to commemorate the end of World War I. It is also a day of remembrance for the many people who have lay down their lives in the many wars since. Among Festivals and Events in France the day has a major significance.

The meaning of the term 'armistice' is termination of aggression as a prelude to peace negotiations. In the context of the First World War, the term generally refers to the agreement between the Germans and the Allies to end the war on November 11, 1918. It was not the only armistice of the war. Though Bulgaria called it quits on 30 September 1918, Germany dragged on till November 11. Turkey and Austria-Hungary, the latter having sparked the war in the first place, were both exhausted and could no longer continue the war after early November. However the most noteworthy armistice of the First World War came to effect at 11am of 11 November 1918, giving rise to the oft quoted term 'eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month'.

The Armistice Day was a national holiday in many of the former allied nations to allow people to commemorate the many people killed during the war. After World War II, it was changed to Veterans Day in the United States and to Remembrance Day in the British Commonwealth Nations. Armistice Day is still an official holiday in France and Belgium. In many parts of the world people take 2 minutes of silence at 11 am in the morning as a sign of respect for the roughly eight million who died in the war.

You will get a glimpse of the rich culture of France on this day. The day has a place of its own among the many festivals and events in France.