On November 18, Latvia celebrates its main holiday – Independence Day. It is a country in Northern Europe, washed by the Baltic Sea, the capital is the city of Riga. The important state event has been celebrated since 1918, when the Republic of Latvia was announced at the National Theater in Riga.

People began to inhabit the modern territory of the country after the end of the last ice age more than 11 thousand years ago. The first settlers formed a special Narva culture. Later, Baltic tribes and Indo-European peoples settled here, introducing cattle breeding and agriculture.

During the Middle Ages, Scandinavian and Finnish tribes settled on the territory of Latvia. Well-fortified fortresses were built on the lands, principalities were gradually formed, and pagan beliefs were followed. During the period from 1202 to 1561, Latvia was captured by the Crusaders of the Livonian Order. This brought Catholicism and the development of military formations to the Baltic lands. Livonia ceased to exist after the invasions of Muscovy, Poland and Sweden. As a result of the wars, the country was divided into parts between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Moscow State and Sweden. The struggle for independence began in 1917 with the formation of a coalition of Latvian political parties – the Democratic Bloc. A year later, the independent Republic of Latvia was declared.