Limba noastră

"Limba noastră" (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈlimba ˈno̯astrə], meaning "Our Language") is the national anthem of the Republic of Moldova since 1994. For a short period before that, the official anthem of the country was Deșteaptă-te, române!, which is also the national anthem of Romania. The lyrics were written by Alexei Mateevici (1888-1917) a month before his death. Mateevici contributed significantly to the national emancipation of Bessarabia. The music for the anthem was composed by Alexandru Cristea (1890-1942).

The focus of "Limba noastră", written in a romantic style, is the national language. It calls for the people to revive the usage of their native language. The poem does not make a named reference to the language; it is only called poetically "our language". "Limba noastră", like "Deșteaptă-te, române!", makes reference to the awakening from the sleep of death: "a people suddenly awaken from the sleep of death" and "awaken, Romanian, from the sleep of death", respectively.

Limba noastră (public holiday)

Limba noastră (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈlimba ˈno̯astrə], English: Our Language) is a public holiday in Moldova and is observed on August 31.

Overview

On August 27, 1989, the Popular Front of Moldova organized a mass demonstration in Chişinău, that became known as the Great National Assembly, which pressured the authorities of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic to adopt a language law on August 31, 1989 that proclaimed the Moldovan language written in the Latin script to be the state language of the MSSR. Its identity with the Romanian language was also established. On June 23, 1990 the Moldovan Parliament established August 31 as a national language day.

In the main square of Chişinău a concert is organized featuring the performances of various national entertainers. Normally the stage is not dismantled since Independence Day which takes place on August 27.

See also

References