The law obliging event organizers to print the National Anthem of Romania on tickets, so that all participants sing it correctly, was promulgated by President Klaus Iohannis. However, sociologists are not sure that Romanians will learn the anthem this way or that they will be more patriotic after knowing it.
The Romanian national anthem will be printed on the entrance tickets to the events – Photo Archive
The national anthem will be printed on tickets, vouchers, invitations or IDs that allow access to events where its singing is mandatory. This after a law in this sense was promulgated by President Klaus Iohannis.
Specifically, in order to ensure that the people participating in the events at which the national anthem is sung do not make mistakes in the verses, the organizers of these events are obliged to print the four stanzas that constitute, according to annex no. 3 to Law no. 75/1994, the abbreviated version of the national anthem, but also the score of the anthem on the tickets/entry tickets or on the access cards/invitations to these events or to attach them to them in printed format. This obligation also applies to sports competitions organized in stadiums or halls. And where this is not possible, the text and score will be played on screens installed for this purpose.
“The National Anthem of Romania is sung based on the text and score provided in annex no. 3, printed as attachments, as the case may be, to tickets or entry tickets or to access cards or invitations to the respective events, or based on their reproduction by projection on screens installed for this purpose“, it is stated in the new law that entered into force and will be applied to stadiums and other sports grounds, at the opening of each session of the Parliament Chambers or at official national festivities and ceremonies, on the occasion of National Anthem Day, but also at official ceremonies with international character, according to the normative act. If they do not comply with the new obligation, the organizers of such an event risk fines of up to 5,000 lei.
The times the anthem was sung wrong
The initiators of the normative project say that such a provision was necessary “considering the fact that the daily reality has demonstrated that the vocal interpretation of the anthem raises certain difficulties generated by the lack of knowledge or incomplete, truncated or approximate knowledge of the text of the national anthem by the participants in those events where the singing of the anthem is mandatory (.. .)“. More exactly“pursues the facilitation of the appropriation of the lyrics of the anthem by the largest possible number of Romanian citizens, thus giving effectiveness to the constitutional provisions that give it character as a symbol of the nationl”, according to the law.
We remind you that, in 2021, on the very National Day of Romania, on December 1, in Târgu Ocna, the anthem of the Socialist Republic of Romania was sung by mistake, “I know three colors in the world“, and the witnesses say that no one reacted to this error. Moreover, in 2019, on the Day of the Little Union, January 24, a popular music artist performed the National Anthem of Romania in a shortened version, other than the official one allowed by the legislation (stanzas 1, 2, 4 and 11). In addition, the singer also messed up the third verse of the first stanza. Then, after the first stanza, he performed the fourth stanza of the hymn and concluded with the second stanza. The singer blamed the mistakes on emotions and the cold outside.
And a few years before, Marcel Pavel and the Romanian Football Federation were fined after the anthem was sung incorrectly at the opening of the Romania – France football match in 2011, an event that inaugurated the National Arena stadium. The artist then sang a modified version of the national anthem, giving up the lyrics “And that on our chests we proudly keep a name/ Victorious in battles, a name of Trajan!“.
A law “like parsley in soup”
“From the start, this initiative involves some costs, and these will be reflected in the price of the tickets. Otherwise it sounds good. The idea of people getting to know the anthem better is meritorious, but whether they will learn it from the tickets is hard to say“, is the opinion of sociologist Barbu Mateescu.
For his part, psychologist Keren Rosner believes that the intention of the initiators was to instill more patriotism and behavior more attached to national values.
“There are a lot of young people who buy tickets to sports competitions, even if some, let's say, ignore the anthem, if it is printed it will attract their attention. It may seem old-fashioned, but we cannot deny the effort of some people to instill feelings related to the country, the nation, cultural belonging. Such laws are intended, maybe our individual lives will not change, but maybe we will end up having stronger patriotic feelings, because lately they have diminished or we have extremes that can be misunderstood. Maybe it will make us more united or more involved in society. If we look at other countries and see the attachment, the behavior, the gestures, we notice that they are much more involved, more attached to their country, and the anthem is a symbol, which many outsiders express and we admire them“, says the psychologist.
For the sociologist Gelu Duminică, however, patriotism means something else.
“Patriotism is not about knowing the lyrics to the national anthem. Patriotism means something entirely and completely different than being anchored in the symbols of that nation. It means doing everything you have to, day by day, to make your country as good as possible, as beautiful as possible, and to make every citizen feel good. It does not mean this fala of showing our flag and anthem everywhere, it has nothing to do with real patriotism, but with what we understand: patriotism. We will not truly love our country if we read the anthem with the correct lyrics. This law is like parsley in soup, it doesn't help, but it doesn't hurt either. We read some lyrics, that the organizer has to pay some extra money on the tickets, to print the anthem as well, who knows what, the customer still pays. It's a matter that will not have an effect in terms of love of country, but not vice versa either”he highlighted.
About the anthem
The National Anthem of Romania is “Wake up Romanians“, according to Law 75/1994. It is sung vocally and instrumentally only in Romanian, as is the version in the mentioned law. Andrei Mureșanu (1816-1863) wrote the lyrics, and the music was composed by Anton Pann (1796-1854).
When the National Anthem of Romania is sung
– at official national festivities and ceremonies, on the occasion of the National Anthem Day, as well as at official ceremonies of an international nature;
– on the occasion of the visits undertaken in Romania by heads of state and government;
– on stadiums and other sports bases, on the occasion of official international sports competitions in which Romania is represented;
– at the opening of each session of the Parliament Chambers.
Anthem of Romania – Annex 3 – Law 75/94
Wake up, Romanians, from the sleep of death,
In which the barbarians of tyrants plunge you!
now or never carve out another destiny,
To which your cruel enemies will worship!
Now or never to give evidence to the world
That Roman blood still flows in these hands,
And we proudly keep a name on our chests
Victorious in battles, a name of Trajan!
Look, great shadows, Michael, Stefan, Corvine,
Romanian nation, your great-grandchildren,
With armed arms, with your fire it comes,
“Life in freedom or death!” they all shout.
Priests, with the cross on your forehead! For the army is Christian,
Devote it to freedom and its most holy purpose.
We die better in battle, with full glory,
Than to be slaves again in our old land!
