Lāčplēsis Day () is a memorial day for soldiers who fought for the independence of

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. It is celebrated on November 11th, marking the decisive victory by the

Latvian Army The Latvian Land Forces () together with the Latvian National Guard form the land warfare branch of the Latvian National Armed Forces. From 2007 to 2024, the Land Forces were organized as a fully professional standing army until the re-introduct ...

over the joint Russian-German

West Russian Volunteer Army The West Russian Volunteer Army or Bermontians was a pro-German White Russian military formation in Latvia and Lithuania during the Russian Civil War from November 1918 to December 1919. History The , unlike the pro- Entente Volunteer Army ...

led by the warlord

Pavel Bermondt-Avalov Prince Pavel Rafailovich Bermondt-Avalov () or Prince Avalov ( – 27 December 1973) was a Russian officer and Cossack adventurer-warlord. He is best known as the commander of the West Russian Volunteer Army which was active in present-day Latvia ...

at the 1919 Battle of Riga during the

Latvian War of Independence The Latvian War of Independence (), sometimes called Latvia's freedom battles () or the Latvian War of Liberation (), was a series of military conflicts in Latvia between 5 December 1918, after the newly proclaimed Republic of Latvia was invade ...

, thus safeguarding the independence of the nascent nation. It initially was a day of honoring the 743 soldiers that fell in the battles around the

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

area. A popular commemorative symbol, introduced by the LNT television channel in 2007 and supported by the Latvian Ministry of Defence, is a

victory sign The term victory (from ) originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a strategic vict ...

-shaped Latvian flag ribbon worn on the left chest. Often it is worn throughout November.

Background

The Republic of Latvia was proclaimed on November 18, 1918, by the

People's Council of Latvia The People's Council of Latvia (, LTP) was a temporary council which declared Latvia's independence on November 18, 1918 and then acted as the temporary parliament of the country until a Constitutional Assembly was elected. The People's Council ...

at the city of Riga. The territory of Latvia had been overrun by the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the leadership of Kingdom o ...

. After the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the Imperial German Army stationed in Latvia was ordered by Allied forces to work with the Latvian Army to defend against the Bolshevik invasion of December 1918. The Imperial German Army soon turned against the Latvians in April 1919, hoping to make Latvia subject to Germany. The

Estonian Army The Estonian Land Forces (), unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense Forces where it has an offensive military formation role. The Estonian Land Forces is currently the ...

including the defeated the Imperial German forces in the Battle of Cēsis in June 1919. Former soldiers of the German Empire and Russian Empire regrouped and reinvaded Latvia in the fall of 1919. The outnumbered

fought valiantly and was victorious on November 11, 1919. The

Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty The Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty, also known as the Treaty of Riga, was signed on 11 August 1920 by representatives of the Republic of Latvia and Soviet Russia. It officially ended the Latvian War of Independence. In Article II of the ...

was signed on August 11, 1920, finalizing the Latvian success in their war of independence.

History

Creation of Lāčplēsis Day

After the West Russian Volunteer Army was pushed out of Riga, Latvian writer

Kārlis Skalbe Kārlis Skalbe ( – April 14, 1945) was a Latvian writer, poet, and activist. He is best known for his 72 fairy tales which are really written for adults. He has been called the 'King of Fairytales', and his words, ''Tēvzemei un Brīvībai'' ( ...

compared the fighting spirit of the Latvian Armed Forces against the German/Russian volunteer army to the "spirit of Lāčplēsis". Lāčplēsis directly translates to "bearslayer" in English and was a highly regarded symbolic figure in Latvian culture. The

Constitutional Assembly of Latvia The Constitutional Assembly of Latvia () was independent Latvia's first elected legislative body. Its main task was creating the constitution of Latvia, the Satversme, which is still in effect to this day. The Speaker of Assembly was Jānis Čaks ...

created the

Order of Lāčplēsis The Order of Lāčplēsis (also Lāčplēsis Military Order, ), the first and the highest Latvian military award, was established in 1919 on the initiative of Jānis Balodis, the Commander of the Latvian Army during the Latvian War of Independ ...

soon after to commemorate instrumental figures in the Latvian victory over the invaders. On November 11, 1920, the first solemn awarding ceremony of the Lāčplēsis War Orders took place on the Esplanade Park in Riga, in which the Chairman of the Constitutional Assembly

Jānis Čakste Jānis Kristaps Čakste (; 14 September 1859 – 14 March 1927) was a Latvian politician and lawyer who served as the first head of an independent Latvian state as the Chairman of the Tautas Padome, People's Council (1918–1920), the Speaker o ...

presented orders to the first 288 Knights of the Order. These 288 Knights were mainly soldiers and instructors who fought bravely against the invading Germans and Russians to secure independence. On November 1, 1928, the

ceased to be awarded, and Lāčplēsis Day became a massive army holiday, celebrated by army garrisons through parades, feasts, concerts, and solemn events. The recipients of the war order and those injured or disabled in combat were especially honored during the Lāčplēsis Day festivities. These annual parades on the 11th of November went on for 20 years before the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Latvia.

After Soviet occupation (1988)

After

Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 The Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 refers to the military occupation of the Republic of Latvia by the Soviet Union under the provisions of the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany and its Secret Additional Protocol signed i ...

, the celebration of Lāčplēsis Day was strictly prohibited. During the third awakening of Latvia, the

Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Also known as the Latvian SSR, or Latvia) was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1941, and then from 1944 until 1990. The Soviet occupation and annexation of Latvia began between J ...

(LSSR) resumed the celebration of Lāčplēsis Day. On November 10, 1989, the Supreme Soviet of the LSSR designated Lāčplēsis Day as a day of remembrance. Lāčplēsis Day became a day of commemoration for the soldiers who gave their lives during the

. A popular Lāčplēsis Day tradition since 1988 has been placing candles by the wall of Riga Castle. Similar candle-lighting ceremonies also take place in other cities, villages and military cemeteries across the country. In 2018, a proposal by Unity and

National Alliance National Alliance may refer to: Electoral alliances *National Alliance (Egypt) (2015) * National Alliance (Ireland) (2024 onwards) * National Alliance (Pakistan) (2002-2004) *Nation Alliance (Turkey) (2018-2023) Political parties and organizations ...

to make Lāčplēsis Day a national holiday failed. Lāčplēsis Day now honors all fallen Latvian freedom fighters, not just the Knights of the Lāčplēsis War Order. November has become a symbolic month of Latvian reflection on the founding of their nation. Latvian officials frequently mention Lāčplēsis Day to rally Latvians in various modern conflicts. Given the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

ongoing in 2021, Latvian President

Egils Levits Egils Levits (born 30 June 1955) is a Latvian politician, lawyer, political scientist and jurist who served as the tenth president of Latvia from 2019 to 2023. He was a List of members of the European Court of Justice, member of the European Cour ...

tweeted "Let's remember our own Lāčplēsis heroes, Latvian Army soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their homeland. Today we must find the strength of Lāčplēsis to fight for the health of the people, in order to resist delusions." Levits encouraged his citizens to make wise and sacrificial decisions regarding the global pandemic, drawing upon the strength of the Knights of Lāčplēsis.

References

External links

What is 'Lāčplēsis Day' and why do Latvians mark it?
November 10, 2020.

Public Broadcasting of Latvia Public Service Media of Latvia ( – LSM) is a publicly funded radio and television organization operated by both of Latvia's public broadcasters – Latvijas Televīzija, Latvian Television and Latvijas Radio, Radio Latvia. LSM provides news, a ...

. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
Today is the Lāčplēsis Day! What does 11 November mean for Latvia?
November 11, 2016. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
What is Lāčplēša Day
Infogr.am. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
Five of the most emotional 11 November speeches of Latvian officials
November 14, 2015.

Baltic News Network Baltic News Network (BNN) is a Baltic news website. It was founded on September 1, 2010, providing online news portals, mainly reporting for and about the Baltic region, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. It is published by ''Latvia Baltic News Network'' ...