The 175th anniversary of the birth of the great poet Mihai Eminescu is marked this year on the National Day of Culture. The Chisinau City Hall, in cooperation with the Writers' Union of Moldova, staged a ceremony of laying flowers at the monument in the Square of the National Theater and at the bust on the Alley of Classical Writers. Young and old, authorities, students, teachers and lovers of Eminescu's poetry paid tribute by reciting poems by Eminescu, IPN reports.
Along with the local authorities, the event involved many citizens, students and teachers of a number of schools.
Alexandru Arseni, a member of the first Parliament, doctor habilitate in constitutional law and a signatory of the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Moldova, explained the meaning of the verse "From the Nistru to the Tissa all the Romanians complained to me": "This verse from Eminescu's "Doina" captures a deep pain, a feeling of collective pain for the fate of the nation, which the poet felt. He did not expressly refer to the fact that we complain, but meant the endured yoke and the desire for freedom. And it is sad that more than 150 years have passed since these things were said and, after so many generations, we are still there, and now we are literally lamenting our fate, having all the conditions for the reunification of the Romanian nation."
The students present at the event also shared impressions about the influence of Eminescu's poetry. Nicolae Avornicița, a tenth grader, recited an excerpt from "The Gloss", an emblematic poem of the poet, which, according to the student, gives valuable lessons to today's youth.
Ion Cernica, president of the student council of "Gheorghe Asachi" High School, underlined the importance of Eminescu's work in the intellectual and cultural formation of the young generation, mentioning the poem "Blue Flower" as one of the most beloved poems.
"On thus day, every year, we pay tribute to the one who changed literature and promoted national ideals through his irreplaceable work. Traditionally, the recitals inspired by Eminescu's verses resound in the heart of the capital city, making us proud of the identity of our nation," said the mayor of the capital city Ion Ceban.
"I want the young generation to learn to read, to read Eminescu because reading is the key to knowledge and to a free mind," said Ion Rotaru, a teacher of history, emphasizing the topicality of Eminescu's work. "Through his poems, Eminescu was a preacher of patriotism and a symbol of cultural resistance," he noted.
"It is hard to choose just one of Eminescu's poems because everything he wrote is of perfect genius, and his work remains extremely topical and relevant. In fact, if he had lived today, Eminescu would have written the same as he wrote in 1883. The war is still on the border, and the same heroes are fighting the same battles. Nothing has changed," explained Ion Rotaru.
On the cultural agenda of the day there is a large event organized at the Palace of the Republic, where personalities from the field of culture will pay tribute to the poet, through poetry, music and literary reflections. The event is part of the program staged on the occasion of the National Day of Culture that is celebrated on January 15, the day of the birth of poet Mihai Eminescu.
