Lafayette's Birthday Fete is Friday: Forget Candles, Bring a Picnic

by Jim Caroompas

Are you ready to celebrate the birthday of Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier? You don't know who that is, you say? 

If you live in Lafayette, you live in the town that was named after him. And his birthday party is Friday in the plaza that also bears his name, and his statue. Festivities begin at 6 p.m.

His official title is the Marquis de La Fayette, but everyone knows him simply as Lafayette. He was a major figure (actually, he was a general) in the American Revolution, fighting the British side by side with George Washington. After that he returned to France, where he played a major role in the revolution there. 

He was born in 1757, so the candles on the birthday cake being provided Friday by The French Bakery would number 243 if tradition were being observed, though that is highly unlikely in this case. 

Bring a picnic basket and enjoy live music, wine, cheese and, as we mentioned before, birthday cake. 

How do you sing "Happy Birthday" in French?