Day of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania

Day of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania
2018 Moldovan stamp marking the centenary of the union
Observed by	Romania, Moldova (unofficially)
Type	National
Significance	The union of Bessarabia with Romania in 1918
Celebrations	Cultural and scientific events and hoisting of the flag of Romania
Date	27 March
Next time	27 March 2025 (2025-03-27)
Frequency	annual
Related to	Great Union Day (1 December)

The Day of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania (Romanian: Ziua Unirii Basarabiei cu România) is a public holiday of Romania celebrated every 27 March to commemorate the union of Bessarabia with Romania on 27 March 1918. Bessarabia is a Romanian historical region that was part of the Principality of Moldavia, which united with Wallachia to form modern Romania. The region was annexed in 1812 by the Russian Empire, but it became independent and united with Romania on 27 March 1918.

Eventually, in 1940, Romania lost Bessarabia to the Soviet Union (USSR), regaining it in 1941 but losing it once again in 1944. The USSR established in part of Bessarabia the Moldavian SSR, which achieved independence in 1991 as the Republic of Moldova, developing since then a movement for unification with Romania. Today, the Day of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania is celebrated in Romania, where it has been an official holiday since 2017, and in Moldova, including the legally Moldovan breakaway territory of Transnistria.