Armistice Day in Paris, France

Sept. 1, 2011 - PRLog -- Armistice Day (Armistice de la Première Guerre mondiale) in France remembers those who died or were injured in World War I and other wars. It is generally a solemn occasion.

What do people do?

Special church services are held to remember those who died in World War I and subsequent wars. Military parades to war memorials and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris are also organized. Public figures, including France's president, lay wreaths and flowers at war memorials. Many people wear black or dark clothes. Armistice Day generally has a solemn mood.

Public life:

Armistice Day is a public holiday in France so post offices, banks, stores and many businesses are closed. Restaurants and cafes outside tourist areas may also be closed. However, bakeries and some stores in Paris, as well as at airports and railway stations and along major highways, are open.

Public transport service schedules vary depending on where one lives and intends to travel. Roads may be closed for parades. This is particularly likely in the center of towns, cities and near war memorials.

Symbols:

The French national flag, or tricolor, plays an important role in Armistice Day observances. It is one-and-a-half times as wide as it is tall and consists of three equal vertical bands colored blue, white and red. It is often displayed at half mast or on flag poles held diagonally by military service men and women.

The body of an unidentified solider from the citadel of Verdun was buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on November 11, 1920. This soldier serves as a symbol of all those who died in World War I. An eternal flame was lit on this tomb three years later and still burns today.

Date:
November 11, 2011

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