Armistice 100th Anniversary Commemoration in Paris

The scene was Paris on a windy and rainy day where 70 world leaders came to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I on November 11, 1918.

President Emmanuel Macron would make a stirring speech to learn the lessons of the war in order to resolve conflicts, avert wars, and spread prosperity, especially in this new era of rising nationalism. Meanwhile, organisers took pains to make the ceremony deliberately international and cross-cultural. 


The streets were eerily clear of people for reasons of security as the leaders gathered in a covered space under the Arc of Triumph. Mayor Anne Hildalgo of Paris provided large TV screens in neighborhoods throughout the city so that people could see the ceremony.



Some 10,000 police were on duty to ensure maximum security in a city repeatedly targeted by jihadists since 2015. There were no reported incidents.






The day began with President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Bridgette, welcoming their guests at the Élysée Palace. 

Macron escorted the leaders from the Palace to buses that transported them to the Arc of Triumph for Armistice ceremonies. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany walked with Macron in a symbolic gesture of peace.

Donald Trump did not join the other leaders at the Palace. Instead, his limousine took him directly to the Arc of Triumph because of a  security threat posed by Femen, a radical feminist activist group that fights for women's rights. The group organizes topless protests against sex tourism, religious institutions, homophobia, and sexism. It was founded in Ukraine, but is now based in Paris. The day before Trump failed to visit the American cemetery of war dead because of rain. He also snubbed the Paris Peace Forum that was to take place after the memorial service. 

The Paris Peace Forum was conceived by Macron to highlight the importance of international institutions in helping resolve conflicts, avert wars and spread prosperity. 

Vladimir Putin of Russia also showed up late and made a grand entrance at the Arc of Triumph as well.




The ceremonies were dignified, solemn, and moving. They included military reviews, pomp, and the recognition of soldiers' service in the past and present.

Of course, the day remained focused on the fallen and the veterans who served their country.

There were musical performances by famous personalities and students alike. 


Yo-Yo Ma performed a cello solo. The U.S-Chinese artist, who received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010, was born in Paris in 1955.



Angelique Kidjo of Benin sang "Blewu" in tribute to the colonial troops who fought for France during the war. She is noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. National Public Radio called her "Africa's greatest living diva", and New African magazine and Jeune Afrique listed her among the "2014 Most Influential Africans." Forbes Afrique put Kidjo on the cover of their "100 most influential women" issue in 2015. She now lives in New York.

The European Union Youth Orchestra, an ensemble of young musicians from all over the continent, performed Ravel’s Bolero led by Chief Conductor Vasily Petrenko of Russia.

Many other youth who participated, which illustrated that the intent was to praise the future by remembering the past. These three youngsters read letters from World War I soldiers. 

A group of young people circled the Eternal Flame in a climatic end to ceremonies. 

Macron gave a special greeting and thanks to the young people for their part on this solemn day.

At precisely 11 a.m., church bells rang throughout Paris--and France. Here is a split screen view of some Parisian churches.

 As President Macron stood before the Eternal Flame and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, he made a powerful speech that called on leaders to work for unity, peace, and internationalism.

“Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. In saying 'Our interests first, whatever happens to the others,' you erase the most precious thing a nation can have, that which makes it live, that which causes it to be great and that which is most important: its moral values."

Macron laid a wreath of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.





He "re-lit" the Eternal Flame with the support of youth.

A lone bugle called an end to the memorial service.

Armistice -- 100 Years

© Collections BDIC/Delasalle, Angèle | Une scène de l'armistice, 11 novembre 1918

The Armistice declared the end of World War I on November 11, 1918, at 11 a.m., and there was, of course, great jubilation. Ten million soldiers and 8 million civilians were killed, the greatest devastation the world had ever seen at the time. This year is the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. I feel privileged to be able to celebrate this anniversary in France where the effects of that war are still deeply felt.


According to an article by University of Paris Professor Dominique Kalifa in Histoire & Civilization magazine (October 2018) France alone lost 1.4 million French soldiers with a quarter of them between ages 18-27. Among civilians, 300,000 were killed and 240,000 died of Spanish flu. Four million soldiers were wounded or mutilated including 15,000 whose faces were severely disfigured (a.k.a. gueules cassés).

There were countless others who suffered from psychological troubles, now known as PTSD, that included hallucinations, melancholy, mental breakdown, sleeping difficulties, mood swings, sexual pathologies, and speechlessness. 

Every family was touched by the war. The war produced 600,000 widows and one million fatherless children. The nation's birth rate subsequently declined severely because of the loss of so many young men. Many soldiers who returned home were not recognizable by their children. Other soldiers were unable to resume their place in society or the workplace; they suffered from complete bitterness as a result. 

The devastation to human beings was matched by the physical destruction of 550,000 houses and 20,000 public buildings, 3 million hectares (7.5 million acres) of agricultural land, 60,000 kilometers (37,300 miles) of roads, 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) of railroads, 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) of canals. 

In the northern and eastern parts of France, whole forests disappeared, the land was covered with gaping holes and trenches, and the soil was made toxic from millions of tons of scrap iron, debris, and cadavers. Dozens of villages remained abandoned because the wreckage was too difficult to clear. Manufacturing and mining were halted or greatly diminished until the mid-1920s. The cost of reconstruction was 35 billion francs or more than the entire national budget of France at the time. Inflation was rampant, and the economy took more than 6 years to recover. 

War memorial in St. Didier

Most towns have a war memorial in the center square. In fact, 36,000 memorials were erected in France between 1920-25 with the inscription "à nos morts" (to our dead).  

War Memorial in the local church at St. Julien Chapteuil

Churches also display marble war memorial plaques that alphabetically list the names of local citizens who had fallen. It is plain to see the multiple losses of sons that many families endured. 

Many cities have planted trees in city squares to remember the dead, like this one in Le Puy, which is located across from the City Hall. This tradition that signifies both victory and remembrance to the fallen started after the French Revolution (1789-99). 








Every year on the morning of November 11, veterans, mayors, local authorities, gendarmes, and military officials pay tribute to the fallen in war. 

Gendarmes of Le Puy 

Eternal Rest Granted Unto WWI Hero

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War, and the French media has recognized and solemnly memorialized it with stories about the war and many of its people. L'Éveil, the local newspaper of Le Puy and the Haute-Loire region, ran a story about Corporal Auguste Sabatier, a 25-year-old army nurse of the 121st Regiment, whose body was exhumed from the military cemetery in Nanterre (near Paris) to be interred in his family's plot in Saugues, a village in south-central France about 50 minutes west of Le Puy. 
An interment ceremony took place there on November 10 with all the honors due his rank. He will now be more than a name on a church wall dedicated to the 130 fallen soldiers of Saugues. This all happened thanks to Auguste's great nephew, Rolland Sabatier.

Rolland wanted to bring his great uncle home again on this 100th anniversary of his death after he learned about his life through the French military archives. He also went through a complex process of working with the National Office of Former Combatants and Victims of War and by gaining the support for his plan through the mayors of Saugues and Nanterre. 

Auguste was killed on August 20, 1917, at 5:30 a.m. rescuing wounded soldiers on the front lines of Verdun less than an hour after the battle to re-take Côte 304 had started. 

It turns out that Sabatier was one of the war's heroes having been cited for two Croix de Guerre (Cross of War) medals, which were posthumously given to him in 1921 by Paul Deschanel, the president of the Republic of France. He had previously received the St. Georges medal, a Russian decoration, for saving the lives of Russian soldiers in numerous battles. His bravery had also been cited on numerous other occasions. 

As was the custom at the time, talking about a deceased soldier was considered a taboo subject, so they were often forgotten. However, Rolland remembers his grandmother being extremely sad every November 11, the day of the Armistice. The wound of her loss of Auguste had never healed. 

One day in 2004, Rolland found by chance a cache of old family photos that included several of Auguste. He considered it "a small miracle" that helped him learn more about his uncle and to "close the loop" of information that had been previously been suppressed. 

The newspaper shared these photos of him; his wife, Albertine who was 6 weeks pregnant at the time of his death; and his friends. The story helps to document the effect of the war on ordinary people and its haunting losses.

Annual Honey Festival in Aiguilhe

The Honey Festival is a celebration of the harvest. 

It starts out with a morning collection of vegetables from the neighborhoods. A man blows a horn (right) and neighbors emerge from their houses to give him something from their gardens. The vegetables are then put into a community soup that is eaten in the evening. 

Here is the collection point for all the vegetables that will go into the community soup. 


Citizens of Aiguilhe play the role as peasants. 

               


The French love to sing, and they seem to use any occasion to lead a crowd in song. They particularly like to sing about food. The Honey Festival, an agricultural fair, made this task easy.

This priest led the crowds in a song about beans.

The Honey Festival
The Auvergne area is a big producer of honey. Every year, the town celebrates with a festival in the central square of Aiguilhe, which is adjacent to Le Puy.  

           

Honey combs

Honey beer

Chestnuts mix well with honey.

Honey bread was one of the main attractions of the festival. It came in different renditions--and sizes.

             






Like most farmers in local markets, these French farmers exhibit a unique pride in what they have produced.

A honey wine-tasting room in the city hall building

                    
 There is always a good reason for a freshly-made crêpe be it a festival or ordinary street scene. 

 

All kinds of characters showed up at the Honey Festival.

These men were grilling up sides of pork for the afternoon meal.

The Honey Festival ended with a fireworks display.