Bastille Day Celebrations

I always thought that Bastille Day in France (July 14) was the equivalent of the 4th of July in the USA! It turns out that the French aren't nearly as patriotic as Americans.  On both the 13th and 14th after dinner, our group went to the beach to see the fireworks (which were both nights!) and the live music playing on the boardwalk.  The fireworks were beautiful and the music was typical cheesy celebration music that everyone loves. We had lots of fun both nights, but noticed that there were barely any young people around.  We seemed to be one of the few groups of teenagers walking around and dancing. We asked some of our counselors why that is, and they said that maybe it was because France is a much older country than America is.  They also added that they don't really care about Bastille Day either! I wonder if that is the reason, or if perhaps it's just because we're in a smaller town and most of the young people are away on vacation or at camp.  I was definitely expecting something different than we got, but it was fun to be together regardless!