The day of August 31, when it is celebrated the national holiday “Our Language Day”, started with the laying of flowers at the monument to ruler Stephan the Great and Holy and also a the busts of writers on the Classical Writers’ Alley in the central park of Chisinau and at the graves of a number of personalities at the Central Cemetery. By his message posted on Facebook, President Igor Dodon called on the people to be proud of the fact that they speak one of the most beautiful languages on Earth, either it is called Moldovan or Romanian, IPN reports.
Representatives of the Party of Action and Solidarity laid flowers at the monuments and graves of a number personalities, among whom artists Doina and Ion Aldea-Teodorovici and poet Grigore Vieru. The party’s leader Maia Sandu in her message noted that for many Bessarabians, their mother tongue, the Romanian language, had been like Cinderella for a long period of time. Only after 1989, it regained its position. The switchover to the Latin script was a holiday of the Romanian language for the Romanian-language speakers. “The Romanian language should be celebrated by speaking it correctly, reading the Romanian language, knowing our writers and passing on the Romanian language to the next generation,” noted Maia Sandu.
Members of the Party “Dignity and Truth Platform” laid flowers on the Classical Writers’ Alley, including at Mihai Eminescu’s bust. Andrei Năstase transmitted a message on the occasion of the holiday, saying his thought for all those who today celebrate the Romanian Language Day is of unity and respect, tolerance and goodwill, modesty, honor and appreciation for what Romanian and the Romanian language mean, for language, tradition, faith and also spirituality. “We owe to our children efforts for not allowing the Romanian language to die here, on the left bank of the Prut. We must do what we can to prevent other languages spoken in Moldova from annihilating it and making it remain silent for many years to come,” stated Andrei Năstase.
The administration of the Chisinau City Hall also laid flowers at the monument to ruler Stephan the Great and Holy. Mayor general Ion Ceban was absent from the ceremony, but transmitted a message, saying the language is the greatest treasure of a nation. “By the spoken language we can determine the ideals, history and culture of a nation. Our ancestors left us a beautiful language and improved it in time. We continue to do the same so as to communicate and understand, not to cause disputes. It is important to speak it correctly and with love for the country and the future,” reads Ion Ceban’s message.
The National Unity Party issued a declaration, saying “the process of reinstating the Romanian language in the Republic of Moldova isn’t over and should continue, in over three decades of its return to the official circuit. The stubbornness by which particular political groups block the use of the Romanian language on Moldova’s territory reveals the strategic importance of this problem. Beyond its cultural aspects, the Romanian language marks for us a geopolitical boundary between the West and the Eurasian area. When fighting for the Romanian language, we fight for our anchoring in the European civilization to which we belong from historical viewpoint.”
The same day, representatives of the UNION Political Movement staged an event in front of the Presidential Palace, saying they brought “symbolical presents” to the Head of State. They came with the Declaration of Independence, with a black bag (similar to the one that was transmitted to the President by the former Democratic leader Vlad Plahotniuc allegedly with money, e.n.) and the Penal Code. The leader of the Liberal Party Dorin Chirtoacă put the Penal Code in that bag and later hung it on the fence near the Presidential Palace.
EU Ambassador in Chisinau Peter Michalko also congratulated the Moldovans on the occasion of the Our Language Day. He recited Mihai Eminescu’s poem “Lowering of Waters”.
Romania’s Ambassador to Moldova Daniel Ioniță said “August 31 is the Romanian Language Day that is equally celebrated on both banks of the Prut, in Romania and in the Republic of Moldova, and also by those for whom the Romanian language is their homeland. “Congratulations to everyone! Speaking and writing it correctly is the supreme form of respect for our mother tongue. As to me, I remain optimistic..,” said the diplomat.
