Prior to 1948, until the abolition of the monarchy, the national holiday was on 10 May, which had a double meaning: it was the day on which KingCarol I set foot on Romanian soil (in 1866), and the day on which the prince ratified the Declaration of Independence (from the Ottoman Empire) in 1877. From 1948, during the period of Communist administration, the national holiday was on 23 August, Liberation from Fascist Occupation Day, to mark the 1944 overthrow of the pro-fascist government of Marshal Ion Antonescu, with parades held in Charles de Gaulle Square (then called Stalin Square and later Aviators' Square).
History
Romanian postcard issued c. 1918–1919. Note the unusual shape of Romania's western borders as pictured on the map (the country is supposed to include all of Maramureș, a bigger part of Crișana, and possibly the entire Banat – pictured in white); the definitive borders would not be drawn until 1920.
The Resolution voted by the National Assembly stipulated also the "fundamental principles for the foundation of the new Romanian State". It was conditional, and demanded the preservation of a democratic local autonomy, the equality of all nationalities and religions.[8] Later, the Romanian National Council of Transylvania [ro] was also formed.[9]
The next day, 2 December 1918, the Romanian National Council of Transylvania formed a government under the name of the Directing Council of Transylvania, Banat and the Romanian Lands in Hungary [ro], headed by Iuliu Maniu.[10]
On 11 December 1918 King Ferdinand I signed the Law regarding the Union of Transylvania, Banat, Crișana, the Satmar, and Maramureș with the Old Kingdom of Romania, decreeing that:[11]
The lands named in the resolution of the Alba-Iulia National Assembly of the 18th of November 1918 are and remain forever united with the Kingdom of Romania.
Resolution 903 of the Council of Ministers on 18 August 1949 had marked 23 August as the national holiday. Law 10/1990, declared on 1 August 1990, moved the national holiday to 1 December.[12] The law does not specify the significance of this day as the national holiday. It was adopted in 1990 by a parliament dominated by members of the National Salvation Front and promulgated by the president Ion Iliescu. The decision combated in some amount sympathy with the tradition of Romanian monarchy, associated with 10 May, but also disappointed the anti-communist opposition, who wished for the national holiday to be moved to 22 December.
The choice of 1 December, though not explicitly declared in the law, referred to the unification of the provinces of Transylvania, Banat, Crișana, and Maramureș with Romania in 1918. The choice of this day as a national holiday was seen as an affront to the Hungarian minority of Romania, which signified for them a loss in political power.[13]
First celebration
The first 1 December national holiday saw the largest celebrations in Alba Iulia, the location in which the proclamation of the union of Transylvania with Romania was signed. They were marked by significant political polarization: Corneliu Coposu, then the leader of the anticommunist opposition, was interrupted several times during a speech by boos from the crowd.[14]Petre Roman, then the prime minister, showed such pleasure at these repeated interruptions that Ion Iliescu had to gesture to him to stop. This signal was captured on film and spread widely by the mass media.[15]
The President of Romania is the guest of honor at the Bucharest parade. As Commander in Chief, the president receives the report of the Chief of the Romanian General Staff upon their arrival on the square to a bugle call fanfare being played by a lone trumpeter. After receiving the salute, the president walks to salute the color guard provided by the Michael the Brave 30th Guards Brigade before inspecting and greeting the guard of honor. After this, Deșteaptă-te, române! is then performed by the Massed Bands of the Bucharest Garrison, made partly from musicians of the 30th Guards Brigade and a combined military and civilian choir as a 21-gun salute is fired in the background. Following this, in the Kiseleff Road parade, the president lays a wreath at the Arcul de Triumf before heading back to the grandstand. After this, the parade commander, who is a general-ranked officer of the Armed Forces, then orders the start of the parade in the following manner:
Parade... attention! Ceremonial pass in review! Eyes to the right, by the left, forward, quick march!
The parade proper then begins at this point which is usually led by a massed color guard and foreign troops[17] before the active personnel of the armed forces march on the parade route as the massed bands play music led by its Senior Director. A historical segment of servicemen in First World War uniforms usually forms part of the march past. The march past is composed first of all active formations followed by those of the military academies and NCO schools.
The parade is then ended with the Honour Guard Company of the 30th Guards Brigade and then followed by the massed bands marching off the square.[citation needed]
^Du Nay, Alain (2008). Români și maghiari în vârtejul istoriei [Romanians and Hungarians in the whirlwind of history] (PDF) (in Romanian). Editura Matthias Corvinus. pp. 1–139. ISBN9781882785148. Retrieved 4 December 2023 – via hungarianhistory.com.
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