---
title: "Over 2,500 write in Romanian on Moldova's language day in Chisinau "
url: https://radiomoldova.md/p/84135/over-2-500-write-in-romanian-on-moldova-s-language-day-in-chisinau
published: 2026-08-31T14:06:48Z
language: en
author: "Ana Cebotari"
section: "Social"
source: radiomoldova.md
---

# Over 2,500 write in Romanian on Moldova's language day in Chisinau 

> More than 2,500 people gathered in Chisinau's central square on Monday to take part in the Great National Dictation, celebrating Romanian Language Day and commemorating the country's historic break from Soviet linguistic control.

![](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/c8220d1c-1b1c-4428-8ab0-59f3c134ceb2.jpg)

More than 2,500 people gathered in Chisinau's central square on Monday to take part in the Great National Dictation, celebrating Romanian Language Day and commemorating the country's historic break from Soviet linguistic control.

The fourth annual event, organized by the Ministry of Education and Research under the auspices of Moldova's presidency, transformed the Great National Assembly Square into a vast open-air classroom. Across the country and among diaspora communities, a total of 3,500 participants in at least 16 administrative districts joined the public writing exercise.

**Linguistic resistance and Soviet repression**

Participants were tasked with writing an excerpt from *“Testamentul”* (*“The Testament”*), an acclaimed satirical play written 40 years ago by prominent Moldovan actor and playwright Gheorghe Urschi. State Secretary for Education Adriana Cazacu noted that Urschi's writing combined sharp social critique with an enduring message of civic optimism.

The gathering coincided with the 35th anniversary of Moldova's declaration of independence and paid tribute to those who resisted decades of Soviet-era russification. The Soviet regime had forced the Cyrillic script onto the Romanian language in Soviet Moldavia and restricted its public use.

*“For nearly half a century, students, teachers, peasants, intellectuals, women and men said *‘No’* to a regime where dissent could mean loss of freedom, the Gulag, or death,”* said Education Minister Dan Perciun, stressing that linguistic rights and the restoration of the Latin alphabet required decades of struggle.

**A prime minister's childhood memory**

Prime Minister Vasile Tofan addressed the crowd, recalling his personal memories as a seven-year-old in the same square during the mass pro-democracy rallies of August 1989, when Moldovans demanded the reinstatement of the Latin script.

*“The Romanian language survived here despite Soviet occupation, an imposed foreign alphabet, and enormous pressure from the Russian language in education, public administration, and civic life,”* Tofan said. *“It endured because it could not be torn from the people. It was spoken at home, sung in traditional songs, and carried in the marrow of our nation.”*

The prime minister paid homage to leading figures of Moldova's National Renaissance movement, including poets Grigore Vieru and Dumitru Matcovschi, as well as teachers who continue to teach Romanian under challenging conditions in Moldova's pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria.

*“The Great National Dictation is not merely about spelling words or placing hyphens correctly,”* Tofan said. *“Thirty-seven years ago, people gathered in this square demanding the right to reclaim our alphabet and speak our language with dignity. Today, we gather here to write it accurately, read it, and celebrate it freely.”*

![Vasile Tofan, prim-ministru al Republicii Moldova](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/723da2f5-10f0-48c8-8f1a-205d115c8043.jpg)

*Sursa: Vasile Tofan, prim-ministru al Republicii Moldova*

![Adriana Cazacu, secretara de stat de la Ministerul Educației și Cercetării](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/45b59e59-859a-4e97-a897-418c962bfc5f.jpg)

*Sursa: Adriana Cazacu, secretara de stat de la Ministerul Educației și Cercetării*

**Civic inclusion and merit awards**

The 2026 gathering marked a steady expansion from the event's inaugural edition, which drew approximately 500 participants before expanding to 1,500 and 2,000 in subsequent years.

This year's edition also included a dedicated cohort of visually impaired students. Their participation helped anchor a community fundraising campaign aimed at procuring five pairs of specialized assistive smart glasses to support blind and low-vision learners in their schooling.

Evaluations will be conducted by an expert panel of linguists, with participants scoring grades of 9 and 10 scheduled to receive books, subscriptions, and cultural passes during an official awards ceremony in September.

Translation by **Iurie Tataru**

![Dan Perciun, ministrul Educației și Cercetării](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/04e5062f-80fd-4b5e-a506-11ceef6050ff.jpg)

*Sursa: Dan Perciun, ministrul Educației și Cercetării*

![](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/ac2bdb00-1d8f-4b8f-a2b3-71d3acd9ddd0.jpg)