French Armistice Day 2023: Date, History, 5 Facts About France

French Armistice Day 2023: Armistice Day is observed as a public holiday in France on November 11, commemorating the signature of the armistice between the Allies and Germany in 1918. This agreement formally terminated World War I by establishing a ceasefire. Simultaneously commemorating the end of the war and being a time of joy, this day is observed to pay tribute to the veterans who valiantly served their nation. Commemorating the deceased, a “Jour d’armistice” (one minute of silence) is observed at 11 a.m., during which military parades are organized throughout the nation for the remainder of the day.

French Armistice Day 2023: History

It is a national holiday in France and other Allied countries on November 11. It is observed on Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth of Nations and as Veterans Day in the United States.

The armistice, which was signed at 5:45 a.m. in Compiègne, France, in 1918, was not implemented until 11 a.m. An idiosyncratic expression centereding on the armistice emerged from the peculiar recurrence of the number 11, which became known as “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.”

While the treaty facilitated a temporary cessation of hostilities for France along the Western Front, it failed to end hostilities in other areas, including certain territories that were formerly under the Russian Empire. As a consequence, the armistice was prolonged on multiple occasions and ultimately remained in effect for a mere 36 days before expiring. Only with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919, the subsequent year, did World War I officially come to an end.

In France and the Allies, Armistice Day is observed with great reverence. The day is primarily devoted to the commemoration of fallen servicemen. Prior to laying a wreath of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the French president customarily conducts an elaborate procession that brings together over sixty heads of state and government to honor the president. An assembly of citizens, predominantly attired in black, assembles to observe the ceremony amid an ambiance of solemnity.

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5 Facts About France

There are the most time zones in France.

Contrary to Russia and the United States, France has twelve distinct time zones.

The period is wartime.

Geographically, France and London should be in the same time zone. However, during World War II, the German government made the decision to enforce German time, and this decision remains in effect to this day.

It employs migratory pigeons in its military.

There are 150 migratory pigeons in the French army.

Ashes and trash cans are regarded as weapons.

As per French legislation, waste cans and ashtrays are classified as lethal weapons.

Not French potatoes, however.

The widespread misconception that French fries originate in France is patently false; in fact, they originate in Belgium.

French Armistice Day 2023: Date