Today (18th November) is the Day of Proclamation of the Republic of Latvia. In 1918, national representatives convened in what is now the National Theatre and proclaimed the independence of the Latvian state. This is an official public holiday.
The Latvians are culturally related to the Estonians and the Lithuanians. The Latvian language has many similarities to Lithuanian. Latvia is one of the least populous countries in the EU. Since 2000, it has had one of the highest GDP growth rates in Europe. On the 1st January next year, the Latvian lats will be replaced by the Euro. Latvia’s national anthem is called “Dievs Sveti Latviju” (God bless Latvia).
Some words of Latvian for you to try: Sveiks (Hello), Paldies (Thank you), Vai jūs runājat angliski? (Do you speak English?)