Daudz laimes, Latvija!

On 18th of november was the latvian independence day. This is a very important day for the latvians. On the 18th of november 1918 Latvia got independent for the first time. (Not for the last time, because of Russia and Germany in the second world war and the time in which Latvia was part of the Sowjetunion.)

On 18th of november, no one goes to work or school, and there are a lot of different happenings, mostly in Rīga. There are flags at every house (in Latvia they have a law that you have to put the flag outside on special days like this), and a lot of people (almost everyone) is wearing a little flag on his jacket.
At 1 pm, there was a military parade to which I went with my hostsister. Unfortunately it was raining a lot, so after a short time we flew into a Café (they had very tasty cake). On the way to the Café we got interviewed by a german woman about patriotism in Latvia and what we think about it. As soon as this article will be on the internet, I'll post it here.
At 3 pm, directly after we came back home, we went to a concert together with my hostparents. There played a brass orchestra and a choir where only boys sing. I really liked that concert.
In the evening, we thought about going to see the firework, but it was raining a lot, so we stayed home, ate cake and ice cream, and later watched a movie about an important day in the latvian history and how they got independent. I will probably write another post about this movie, because I can highly recommend it.
It was a great day, and I somehow felt very latvian :D

By the way, "daudz laimes" means "all the best" / "best wishes" (for the Germans: Alles Gute) and it's something you say to people on their birthdays, and on this day to Latvia, because it's kinda the birthday of Latvia. 

Picture explanation: 

1. In the background you can see the firework that takes place on every 18th of november (I heard that it's more than 20000 € what they literally shoot in the sky every year).

2. The freedom monument. Because the latvians are very happy that they can finally live in peace.

3. This is one of the little flags which the latvians wear on the 18th of november. 

4. Happy birthday, Latvia! 

I hope you have a wonderful day!