Today Romanians celebrate 90 years of national unity. All nations have a national holiday – the American “Independence Day” is no longer a secret for the world. Romanians celebrate their Union Day as a National Holiday.

December 1st, 1918 – the National Assembly of all Romanians in Transylvania, Banat and the Hungarian Country convened in Alba Iulia and decreed, by unanimous vote, the union of Transylvania with the Romanian Kingdom

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The National Assembly of all Romanians in Transylvania, Banat and the Hungarian Country, gathered by its rightful representatives at Alba-Iulia on the 18th of November/1st of December, decrees the unification of those Romanians and of all the territories inhabited by them with Romania. The National Assembly proclaims above all the inalienable right of the Romanian nation to the whole Banat bordered by the Mures and Tisa rivers and the Danube.

Back in 1918 the Romanian Kingdom was formed of Moldavia and Wallachia. Other Romanian provinces were under either Hungarian or Ottoman occupation. December 1st celebrates today not only the union between Transylvania and the Romanian Kingdom, but also the union of the provinces of Banat, Bessarabia and Bukovina with the two. Moldavia and Wallachia united in 1859 and formed the “United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia.” The first ruler of the young kingdom was prince Alexander John Cuza.

To understand the importance of the Union Day in the history of the Romanians one has to understand their heritage and their history. Looking back at the borders of Dacia during Burebista and the union of the Romanian principalities under Michael the Brave in 1600 it is easy to understand that the unification of all Romanian provinces into a big state was a national ideal after the WWI.

It is pointless to make a trip down history lane when there are already so many resources waiting for those who are interested in a short history lesson. Yet I cannot end this entry without scribbling my feelings…

La Multi Ani, Romania! I am proud to be Your daughter. I miss you and I know where my home really is. I miss You and Your people, Your mountains and Your wild rivers, the Delta (my paradise) and the Black Sea…I miss Bucharest, my little Paris (I was born there) and Transylvania. I miss You, Romania! I’ll always be Your daughter, I’ll never give up my identity. So, once again: La Multi Ani, Romania! May God bless You!