FÊTE NATIONALE

Called Union Day (Ziua Unirii), the Romanian national holiday is celebrated on ¹ December. It celebrates the union, proclaimed on ¹ December 1918 in Alba Iulia, of all the Romanian provinces, particularly Transylvania, which was attached to the Kingdom of Romania after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. ¹ December became a national holiday in 1990, just after the fall of communism. On this day, cities are decked out in blue, yellow and red flags and a military parade takes place in Bucharest, under the Arc de Triomphe, and in Alba Iulia.