Day of the Unification of the Romanian Principalities

This is a public holiday of Romania celebrated to commemorate the unification of the Romanian Principalities (Moldova and Wallachia), also known as the “Little Union” on 24th January 1859 under prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza. This was deemed as important as it is considered the first step towards the goal of achieving a unitary Romanian state, something that is considered to have been achieved on 1st December 1918, when the Kingdom of Romania was declared. The holiday became official when Romanian President Traian Basescu signed a decree promulgating it on 16th December. It is still a non-working day in Romania, and is also celebrated in Moldova.