Bucharest Babel Blog

300 workers, Romanians, Portuguese and Brazilians worked for one month and a half for realizing the biggest Christmas tree in Europe. Having 7th floors, 76 meters height and 300 tones, the huge tree lights up the Unirii Square with its over 2 millions lightings. The inauguration of the Christmas tree gathered over 70.000 people in the heart of Bucharest and caused many traffic jams. But the people are proud of having the highest Christmas Tree from Europe in their city.

In 1918, Romania reunified its historical territories, Bucovina and Basarabia (presently the Republic of Moldavia) during spring, and on 1st December Transylvania, which was under Hungarian administration.

But nowadays people don’t seem to be that impressed by their historical past. Could be for the new international perspectives. Considering the last events in Italy and the xenophobic wave against Romanians, even Nicolae Furdui Iancu, interpreting the informal ode of our National Day, “We are Romanians”, at a concert in front of the National Theatre, seemed to lower his voice while singing its last lyrics: “We are the descendents of Traian” (the Roman emperor).

“You make Romania” was a one month campaign developed by Realitatea TV, where people could write on a wall, placed in the University square, their opinion about our country. On 1st of December they were asked whereas they feel either proud or ashamed of being Romanians.

Most of them claim they fell proud of their nationality, of the fact they are living in a free country where they benefit of the liberty of expression, they are proud of our traditions, our culture but on the other hand they fell ashamed of the political class, which they describe as being corrupt and with a low interest in solving their problems, they are ashamed of the bad image the Romanians have abroad and of living standards they have inside the country. Nevertheless they are optimistic, thinking that the situation will improve, step by step, now that we are an EU member state.

Many of them admit they don’t feel like celebrating the National Day, even though they admit such day should be celebrated. But the army parades and demonstrations are not moving them. Only the concerts and the inauguration of the city Christmas lightings still conceive that.