The Constitution of Romania provides that “The flag of Romania is tricolour; the colors are arranged vertically in the following order from the flagpole: blue, yellow and red”. History and significance of the

colors

Early 1848 Tricolour inscribed "Dreptate, Frăţie": watercolor by C. Petrescu

Red, yellow and blue were found on late 16th century royal grants of Michael the Brave, as well as shields and banners. During the Wallachian uprising of 1821, they were present on the canvas of the revolutionaries’ flag; for the first time a meaning was attributed to them: “Liberty (sky-blue), Justice (field yellow), Fraternity (blood red)”.

The tricolour was first adopted in Wallachia in 1834, when the reforming ruler Alexandru II Ghica submitted naval and military colors designs for the approval of Sultan Mahmud II. The latter was a “flag with a red, blue and yellow face, also having stars and a bird’s head in the middle”. Soon, the order of colors was changed, with yellow appearing in the center.

The 1848 Tricolour with vertical stripes

In 1848, the flag adopted for Wallachia by the revolutionaries that year was a blue-yellow-red tricolour. After the revolution was quelled, the old flags were restored and the revolutionaries punished for having worn the tricolour.

Flag of the United Principalities of Romania

However, article 124 of the 1866 Constitution of Romania provided that “the colors of the United Principalities will be Blue, Yellow and Red”. This design of the national flag lasted until 1948.

State flag of the Socialist Republic ofRomania (1965-1989)

On 30 December 1947, Romania was proclaimed a people’s republic and all the ex-kingdom’s symbols were outlawed, including the coat of arms and the tricolour flags that showed it.

By 1989, the coat of arms had been changed no less than four times. Starting on 17 December 1989, during the revolution at Timişoara, the coat of arms of the Romanian Socialist Republic began to be ripped off the flags, being perceived as a symbol of Nicolae Ceauşescu’s dictatorial regime. These flags were called “the flag with the hole”.

Flag of the anti-Ceauşescu protestersduring the Romanian Revolution of 1989, with the coat of arms of the RSR being cut-out

Awaken thee, Romanian!-The National Anthem-

The lyrics were composed by Andrei Mureșanu (1816–1863) and the music was popular (it was chosen for the poem by Gheorghe Ucenescu. It was written and published during the 1848 revolution, initially with the name "Un răsunet" ("An echo"). It was first sung in late June in the same year in the city of Brașov, on the streets of Șchei quarter.

It was immediately accepted as the revolutionary anthem and renamed "Deșteaptă-te, române !".

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English: This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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