Restricted ceremonies on Romania’s National Day

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Roxana Vasile, 02.12.2020, 14:20

On December 1, 1918, representatives of Romanian
communities in Transylvania convened in the city of Alba Iulia and signed in
favor of the unification with the kingdom of Romania. Previously, Romanians
from Bessarabia and Bukovina opted to unite with Romania. Treatises signed as
part of the Paris Peace Conference enshrined Romanians’ efforts and sacrifices
to accomplish the great union. After the anticommunist revolution of 1989,
December 1 was proclaimed the National Day of Romania, celebrated at home and
abroad. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about restrictive measures
which impacted manifestations held on this occasion. Modern technologies have
allowed Romanians around the world to celebrate this special day. In Alba
Iulia, the streets of the city, once filled with people gathered in
celebration, were empty, especially as local authorities announced an extension
of the quarantine imposed last week. In Bucharest the traditional military
parade of soldiers and military equipment was cancelled. The square before the
Triumphal Arch venued only a restricted official ceremony attended by President
Klaus Iohannis, who had this to say:

Our thoughts today go out to the heroes of this
year, the medical personnel and everyone risking their lives to prevent the
spread of the virus, as well as to the victims of this deadly virus and their
families. We are aware and we feel the substantial efforts undertaken by health
workers since March, and we will always pay tribute to the sacrifice made by
doctors, nurses and ambulance workers.

On December 1 the President decorated medical
doctors as well as medical schools in Romania. On a more colorful note, the
Niagara Falls in Canada was lit up in red, yellow and blue, describing the
national flag of Romania. In Dubai, the Romanian flag was projected on the
famous Burj al-Arab tower as part of an initiative of the Romanian Embassy in
the United Arab Emirates. In Petra, Jordan, for the first time ever the flag of
a foreign country, our flag, was officially raised in front of the Treasury
building. The Government building in Madrid was also lit-up with the colors of
the Romanian flag, while the National Police Orchestra of Spain performed our
national anthem, Awaken, thee, Romanian! (V. Palcu)