Mountain landscape in foggy morning in Romania
When is Great Union day?
How long until National day? |
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| This holiday next takes place in 250 Days. | ||
Dates of National day |
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| Year | Weekday | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Tuesday | |
| 2019 | Sunday | |
| 2018 | Saturday | |
| 2017 | Friday | |
| 2016 | Thursday | |
Duration |
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| 1 Day | ||
Local Name |
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| Ziua Marii Uniri | ||
Summary |
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| The National day of Romania and celebrates the Union of Transylvania with Romania in 1918 | ||
This public holiday is always celebrated on 1st December.
In Romanian, it is known as 'Ziua Marii Uniri' and may also be known as Unification Day or 1918 Union Day.
It is the National day of Romania and celebrates the Union of Transylvania with Romania in 1918
History of Great Union Day
Romania had declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877, with the country comprised of the principalities of Moldova and Wallachia.
Following the end of World War I, during the reign of King Ferdinand I, Romania almost doubled in size when Transylvania and the provinces of Bessarabia and Bukovina unified with Romania.
The declaration of unification happened in Alba Iulia on 1 December 1918. The declaration was read by Vasile Goldis, Romanian academician and politician, during a public event which was attended by over 100,000 Romanians.
During World War II, Romania lost Basarabia (present day Moldova) and Bucovina in 1940, with both regions being annexed by the Soviet Republic.
Romania's national day has moved around a few times over the years. Before 1918, the national day was on 10th May which marked both Carol I's entrance into Romania in 1866 and his subsequent declaration of Independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877. During the period of communist rule from 1944, the national day became 23rd August which marked the overthrow of the fascist government in 1944. Following the end of communist rule in 1990, 1 December was made national day.
How is Great Union Day celebrated?
Great Union Day is marked by a large military parade in the capital, Bucharest. Speeches will be made in Bucharest and Alba Iulia, where the declaration of union was first read out. Elsewhere, local events will remember the Romanians who lost their lives in World War I.
To commemorate the centenary of Great Union Day, 4807 people gathered to recreate the silhouette of Romania in Alba Iulia on 29 September 2018, making it the Largest human image of a country/ continent ever as ratified by Guinness World Records.