"Deșteaptă-te, române!" is the national anthem of Romania. The lyrics were composed by Andrei Mureșanu and the music was popular. It was written and published during the 1848 revolution, initially with the name "Un răsunet". It was first sung in late June in the same year in the city ofBrașov, on the streets of Șchei quarter. It was immediately accepted as the revolutionary anthem and renamed "Deșteaptă-te, române!" Since then, this song, which contains a message of liberty and patriotism, has been sung during all major Romanian conflicts, including during the 1989 anti-communist revolution. After the revolution, it became the national anthem in24 January 1990, replacing the communist-era national anthem "Trei culori". July 29 is now the "National Anthem Day" , an annual observance in Romania. The song was also used on various solemn occasions in the Moldavian Democratic Republic, during its brief existence, between 1917 and 1918. Between 1991 and 1994 it was the national anthem of Moldova as well, but was subsequently replaced by the current Moldovan anthem, "Limba noastră".
History
The melody was originally a sentimental song called "Din sânul maicii mele" composed by Anton Pann after hearing the poem In 1848, Andrei Mureșanu wrote the poem "Un răsunet", and asked Gheorghe Ucenescu, a Scheii Brașovului Church singer, to find him a suitable melody. After Ucenescu sang him several lay melodies, Mureșanu chose Anton Pann's song. First sung during the uprisings of 1848, "Deșteaptă-te române!" has endured as a favorite song and seen play during various historical events, including as part of Romania's declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish War, and during World War I. The song received particularly heavy radio broadcast in the days following the state coup of August 23, 1944, when Romania switched sides, turning againstNazi Germany and joining the Allies side in World War II. After the seizure of power by the communists on December 30, 1947, "Deșteaptă-te române!" and other patriotic songs closely associated with the previous regime were outlawed. Ceaușescu's government permitted the song to be played and sung in public, but it was not given state recognition as the national anthem. The song was officially adopted as the national anthem in 24 January 1990 despite the Romanian Revolution ending in 1989. The overall message of the anthem is a "call to action"; it proposes a "now or never" urge for change present in many national anthems like the French revolutionary song "La Marseillaise". This is the reason why Nicolae Bălcescu called it the "Romanian Marseillaise".
Another anthem
Besides "Deșteaptă-te, române!", the Romanians also have "Hora Unirii", written by the poet Vasile Alecsandri, which was sung a great deal on the occasion of the Union of the Principalities and on other occasions. "Hora Unirii" is sung on the Romanian folk tune of a slow but energetic round dance joined by the whole attendance.
Original verses in Romanian
Romania's national anthem has eleven stanzas. Today, only the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 11th are sung on official occasions, as established by Romanian law. At major events, such as the National Holiday, the full version is sung, accompanied by 21-gun salute when the President is present at the event.
Other translations
Note that, in accordance with Romanian law, there are no official translations of the anthem.
