Romania National Day (Great Union Day): December 1 Guide

Great Union Day (Ziua Marii Uniri) is Romania’s national day, celebrated every year on December 1. It commemorates December 1, 1918, when a great assembly in Alba Iulia declared the union of Transylvania, Banat, Crișana and Maramureș with the Kingdom of Romania — completing the creation of modern “Greater Romania”.

Key Information

Date	December 1 every year
Romanian name	Ziua Marii Uniri / Ziua Națională a României
Marks	Union of Transylvania with Romania, 1918
Place	Alba Iulia
National day since	1990
Public holiday	Yes
Colours	Blue, yellow and red
Hashtags	#1Decembrie #ZiuaNationala #LaMultiAniRomania

How the Great Union Happened

For centuries, Romanians lived in three separate principalities: Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania. Wallachia and Moldavia united in 1859 under Alexandru Ioan Cuza (the “Little Union”), and Romania won full independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877–78. Transylvania, however, remained part of Austria-Hungary.

The end of the First World War changed everything. As Austria-Hungary and the Russian Empire collapsed, Romanian-majority regions voted one by one to join Romania:

Date (1918)	Region	Decision
March 27 (April 9 new style)	Bessarabia	Union voted by Sfatul Țării in Chișinău
November 28	Bukovina	Union voted by the General Congress in Chernivtsi
December 1	Transylvania, Banat, Crișana, Maramureș	Union proclaimed by the Great National Assembly in Alba Iulia

On December 1, the Great National Assembly of 1,228 elected delegates met in Alba Iulia while more than 100,000 people gathered outside. Vasile Goldiș read the Resolution of Union and Iuliu Maniu played a central role. The union was later recognised internationally in the Treaty of Trianon (1920). In 1922, King Ferdinand and Queen Marie were crowned as sovereigns of Greater Romania in a new coronation cathedral in Alba Iulia.

Romania’s national day is not about a war won, but about a people coming together by their own vote.

Why December 1 Became the National Day

Period	National day
1866–1947 (Kingdom)	May 10 — accession of Carol I and independence day
1948–1989 (Communist era)	August 23 — the 1944 coup that took Romania out of the Axis
Since 1990	December 1 — Great Union Day, chosen by Parliament after the 1989 Revolution

How Romanians Celebrate

• Military parade in Bucharest under the Arch of Triumph, with troops, vehicles and aircraft flyovers.
• Celebrations in Alba Iulia — ceremonies at the Citadel and the Coronation Cathedral, re-enactments in historic costume.
• Flags and tricolour ribbons on homes, cars and lapels.
• Free concerts and fireworks in cities across the country.
• Fasole cu cârnați — bean stew with smoked sausages is handed out free in many squares; families also cook sarmale (cabbage rolls) and drink mulled wine.
• Romanians abroad — in Italy, Spain, the UK, Germany and Moldova — hold their own festivals and services.

National Symbols

Symbol	Details
Flag	Vertical blue, yellow and red stripes; Flag Day is June 26
Anthem	“Deșteaptă-te, române!” (“Awaken Thee, Romanian!”), words by Andrei Mureșanu, 1848
Coat of arms	Golden eagle with a cross, holding a sword and sceptre
Language Day	August 31 — Romanian Language Day

Good to Know

• December 1 is followed closely by St. Andrew’s Day (November 30), also a public holiday, so many Romanians enjoy a long weekend.
• Romania celebrated the centenary of the Great Union in 2018 with year-long events.
• The Republic of Moldova, which shares language and history with Romania, also marks the day in many communities.

Greetings for December 1

Romanian	English
La mulți ani, România!	Happy birthday / Many years, Romania!
Trăiască România!	Long live Romania!
Ziua Națională fericită!	Happy National Day!

👉 Plan ahead: See every holiday and observance in December

Frequently Asked Questions