The French Community Day () is an annual holiday held in the

French Community of Belgium In Belgium, the French Community (, , CFB) refers to one of the three constituent constitutional linguistic communities. Since 2011, the French Community has used the name Wallonia-Brussels Federation (, , FWB), which is controversial because ...

on 27 September. It is also variously translated as the Day of the French Community, French Community Holiday, Feast Day of the French Community, Festival of the French Community, or other variants. This date was chosen by the French Community of Belgium after an important episode in the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. The ...

Origins

The Belgian Revolution from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands erupted on the night of 25 August 1830, following a performance of Daniel Auber's sentimental and patriotic opera '' La Muette de Portici'', a tale suited to fire National Romanticism, for it was set against Masaniello's uprising against the Spanish masters of Naples in the 17th century. The play caused a riot and the crowd poured into the streets after the performance, shouting patriotic slogans, and swiftly took possession of government buildings. The affable and moderate Crown Prince William, who represented the monarchy in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, was convinced by the Estates-General on 1 September that the administrative separation of north and south was the only viable solution to the crisis. His father rejected the terms of accommodation that he proposed. King William I attempted to restore the establishment order by force, but the royal army under Prince Frederik was unable to retake

in bloody street fighting on 23 to 26 September. A provisional government was declared in Brussels on 26 September, and during the night of the 26–27 the Dutch troops retreated. Fernand Massart, a Walloon politician active in the 1960s and 1970s, proposed Walloons celebrate on 27 September in commemoration of the victory. On 24 June 1975, the date was chosen by the French Community as French Community Day, and it was first celebrated that same year.

Modern celebrations

All schools are closed for the holiday, though many business remain open. The festival is celebrated with many free concerts featuring

francophone The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...

acts. These take place throughout the French Community, in cities such as Mons,

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

, Huy,

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

and Brussels. Theatrical performances and sporting events also take place in some areas. The Flemish Community has a parallel holiday called the Flemish Community Day, held on 11 July. It commemorates the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302.

References

{{reflist French Community of Belgium Society of Belgium Public holidays in Belgium September observances

Origins

Modern celebrations

See also

References