Romanians have sung “Deșteaptă-te, române” at revolutionary events since the 1848 revolution against the Habsburg empire. It aided them in their fight against the Nazis and served as a symbol of the former way of life during decades of dictatorship.
The song, which translates “Awaken Thee, Romanian,” was outlawed under Communism and became a call to arms for protestors and rebels in 1989. Shortly after the fall of Communism, it became the national anthem.
Read the lyrics with English translation here, and listen to the song below:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL3dCT8i3ew&feature=related&rel=0]