Saturday, April 30, 2016

Latvia National Flag

By Marina Koronsky


The Latvians and Lithuanians are the two surviving peoples of the Balt branch of the Indo-European ethnolinguistic group. The Balts are thought to have spread into the southeastern Baltic area around 2000 BC from the region that is now Belarus and neighboring parts of Russia. (The term Balt, which was derived from the Baltic Sea, was first used in the 19th century.) Those people who stayed behind were assimilated, much later, by Belarusian or Russian Slavs (who are ethnically the Balts' nearest relatives). By the 13th century, the Balts were divided into a number of tribal kingdoms.

From their base in Latvia, the Germans marched inland and took the land from the native people. The Germans formed themselves into a quasi-monastic order called the Brotherhood of the Sword. They called the Baltic region Livonia. In 1237, the Brotherhood of the Sword merged with another German Order, the Teutonic Knights and called themselves the Livonian Order. The Germans made themselves a feudal ruling class in Latvia. The increasingly powerful country of Russia sought access to the sea and they invaded Latvia in 1558. The Livonian Wars as they were called lasted until 1583.

Latvia was one of the most economically well-off and industrialized parts of the Soviet Union. The Baltic nations saw an opportunity to free themselves from Soviet domination and Latvia declared its independence on Aug. 21, 1991. Most other nations quickly recognized their independence.

The present Latvian banner was embraced on February 27, 1990. This Latvian banner was initially used by the independent Latvia from 1918 to 1940 when the USSR again assumed control over the nation and banned usage of the banner. Latvia recovered freedom from the Soviet Union on August 21, 1991.

The banner of Latvia comprises of a maroon base with a white even stripe going through the center of it. The Latvian banner is accounted for to go back to a military unit in 1279, which would make it one of the most established national banners on the planet.

Dr. Karlis Ulmanis, the last President of Latvia before the Soviet invasion in 1940 described the meaning of the Latvian flag as this: "White stands for right and truth, the honor of free citizens and trustworthiness. But the maroon/red reminds us of the blood that has been shed in the recent past. It has been shed at all times in the remote past and we are ready to offer it again for freedom and independence, for our nation and country." The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize the history of Latvian Flag for the future.




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