Declaration of Independence
Romania observes its National Day on December 1. The day celebrates the unification of various Romanian regions.
History
In Romania, December 1 is the “Great Union Day.”The National Day marks the unification of the nation in 1918 and the creation of the Romanian state within its present-day boundaries. The nation achieved complete independence in 1878, but on December 1, 1918, Romania, which comprised Wallachia and Moldova, was merged with Crisana, Transylvania, Banat, and the Maramures area. The country has been celebrating December 1 as the National Day since 1990 following the collapse of the Romanian Communist Party in 1989.
Songs
The translated version of the national anthem is as follows:
“Awaken Thee, Romanian!”
Awaken thee, Romanian, from that deathly sleep
Into which you’ve been sunken by the barbarian tyrants.
Now or never sew yourself another fate
To whom even your cruel enemies may bow.
Now or never, let us give proof to the world
That in these hands of ours Roman blood still flows
And that in our chests we proudly keep a name
Triumphant in battles, a name of “Trajan”.
Look, majestic shadows, Michael, Stephen, Corvinus:
The Romanian nation, your grand-grandsons
With armed hands and your fire in their veins
“A life of freedom or death”, they all shout.
Priests with the cross ahead, because the army is Christian
The motto is freedom and its purpose is all too holy
We’d rather die in battle, in elevated glory
Than be slaves once more on our ancestral land.
Celebrations
The Romanian National Day is a public holiday in the nation. The day starts with a military parade in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Elsewhere in the country, different events are organized in honor of Romanians who died during the First World War. Many concerts are also organized in different city halls. Banks, public offices, and many private businesses are closed on December 1. People intending to travel by public transport must check with the public transit authorities about any changes in the time schedules. Some parts of Bucharest, and possibly other major cities, may be closed during certain times of the day for military parades.
Facts
Some interesting facts about Romania are as follows:
- Prime Minister: Nicolae Ionel Ciucă
- President: Klaus Iohannis
- Total area: 91,699 sq mi
- Capital and largest city: Bucharest
- Population 19.7 million
- Languages: Romanian (official), Hungarian, and Romany
- Agriculture: Barley, sugar beets, wheat, corn, potatoes, sunflower seed, grapes, eggs, and sheep
- Industries: Textiles and footwear, electric machinery and equipment, auto assembly, light machinery, timber, mining, metallurgy, construction materials, food processing, chemicals, and petroleum refining
- Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, timber, iron ore, coal, arable land, salt, and hydropower
- Chief trading partners: Germany, Italy, Turkey, France, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Russia, and Kazakhstan
