All About Latvia

May 15 is no longer celebrated as a national holiday, but for five years before the Soviets arrived in 1940, this day, known as National Unity Day, was a state holiday.

On May 15, 1934, then-Prime Minister Karlis Ulmanis dissolved the Parliament frustrated with his inability to push a legislation through the fractured Legislature. Because the Constitution doesn’t give the PM that right, Ulmanis staged a bloodless coup d’etat that night. For the five following years the events of May 15 were dubbed as the greatest event in Latvian history since the creation of the Republic in 1918.

That day, the 16-year-old democracy in Latvia died.

Ulmanis informed the President Alberts Kviesis about the coup only on the following day, May 16.

“All activities of political parties and with it the activity of the Saeima ceased until the Constitution is reformed,” read the headline in one newspaper dated May 16, 1934. The newspaper also cited rumors about a military coup as a reason for the “temporary” suspension of democracy in the country.

Kviesis was allowed to serve the rest of his term until 1936, after which Ulmanis unconstitutionally merged the office of President and Prime Minister in his own person. Consolidating the power, Ulmanis became a Vadonis, or the Leader of the Latvian people, creating a cult of personality in the country.

However, in spite of this bloodless political coup, Ulmanis was a popular leader during whose leadership Latvia recorded major achievements.

The popularity of Ulmanis and the glory of the Ulmanis Latvia stretched through generations and still exists to this day among some Latvians. Riding a high horse of his last name, Ulmanis’ great nephew, Guntis Ulmanis became the first president in the post-Soviet Latvia in 1993.

“During Ulmanis’ rule, education was strongly emphasized and literacy rates in Latvia reached the highest levels in Europe. Due to an application of the economics of comparative advantage, the United Kingdom and Germany became Latvia’s major trade partners, while trade with Russia was reduced. At a time when most of the world’s economy was suffering, Latvia could point to increases in both gross national product (GNP) and in exports of Latvian goods overseas.”

In 1935, May 15 became a national holiday - Tautas Vienibas Svetki, or National Unity Day - and remained as such until 1940. On that day, pro-government newspapers boasted of the achievements reached since the bloodless coup d’etat. In fact, poems were written about that day. Here’s one published in 1938 with my amateur translation.

Ik dzivibai te jaunas apkart rodas, -
Un visi kopa Ritam preti dodas,
Lai vienoti tie justu lielu speku
Un lepnumu celtu latvju tautas eku
Par audzem nakosam, kam cels vel prieksa tals
Stav musu Vadonis un musu General’s

For each life here is born
And all together we’ll move to Tomorrow
So that united those could feel strong power
And with pride will build a home for Latvian nation
For future generations, who have a long road ahead
Stand our Leader and our General.

Every year, the government-supported newspapers hailed this event as the right decision for the Republic of Latvia. One sentence jumps to mind from the newspapers of those days, “Instead of demagoguery, the people received the results.”

In the end, though, in nearly six years of the Ulmanis regime, the Constitution was never reformed; the Parliament was never restored. While Ulmanis attempted to protect the Latvian state from the supposed military coup, he told Latvians not to resist the Red Army when it arrived to Latvia in 1940, when the scepter of the Latvian state was handed over from one Great Leader to Another.

Ulmanis believed Stalin would spare his life, but in the end, the Soviet security forces took him to Soviet Union where he was killed.

His remains have not been found to this day.

The Great Leader President Karlis Ulmanis walks along the troops during the Unity Day parade. The photo is taken from a newspaper dated May 15, 1939.

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When I started blogging back in March 2003, I had no idea where it would go. The driving force behind it at that time had been a lack of English-language information about a small country on the shores of the Baltic Sea. And homesickness.

I’ve written most of the entries from my new-found home in the Midwest of the United States. I’ve been watching what’s going on in the Baltic States, Latvia in particular, from afar for four years off and on.

Later today, I’ll be moving closer to the action.

It’s a temporary move. But relatively long-term compared to other trips.

The summer, however, doesn’t promise to be dull in Riga as the third annual Gay Pride parade is likely to take place in the city late May-early June. Last year, the pride parade ended up being a crap fest, as you may recall. Equipped with the holy water and dog-poop, a group of religious zealots picketed outside the Hotel Latvia where gay activists were meeting. It was an embarrassment.

Later in June, Latvia’s Parliament will vote on who will replace the outgoing Vaira Vike-Freiberga, whose term expires in July, the same day Latvians will vote in a referendum regarding two national security laws she declined to sign.

In other words, lots of fun to be had.

Judging by some comments I received from people, I’m also going against the grain, as most Latvians are now moving away from Latvia to work in the greener pastures of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

But I’m going home nevertheless.

If you’re in Latvia, don’t hesitate to contact me. Additional contact information will be provided as it becomes available.

Visu labu,

Aleks

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Hit refresh often. Go to Wikipedia for background on the Eurovision Song Contest

It’s all over. Thanks for staying with us.

*0002 CET* - Congrats, Serbia!

*0000 CET* - FYR Macedonia: Belgrade it is.

*2358 CET* - Moldova: I don’t believe it’s Chisinau on the background there. Looks like New York.

*2357 CET* - Ukraine can still pull it off. Poland though takes Eurovision a bit too seriously. A tie and all.

*2355 CET* - Latvian guy sounds a bit constipated.

*2354 CET* - Can you trust Russia correctly collect the votes?

*2352 CET* - Russia of course got 10 points from Ukraine.

*2349 CET* - Re: Estonia’s vote. You can always rely on your neighbors.

*2347 CET* - Irish Latvians must have voted.

*2346 CET* -Will Ireland give Britain some points? Please. True, seven points for the UK.

*2344 CET* - Can you say “See you in Belgrade?”

*2342 CET* - That Lithuania voted for us is not surprising. Taht Baltic unity is somewhat close.

*2340 CET* - They cut her off there.

Oh, we’re halfway through. Not everything is lost. England may get a point just yet.

It looks like Serbia is coming on top.

One more point from Croatia.

Thank you Romania for two points.

Ireland, Latvia, and the UK are without points. I could understand Ireland and the UK…

Wow, Serbia is coming ahead. Was Finland girl humming the Jaws theme song?

I don’t understand the Russia’s in top 3. Nothing against Russia, but the girls were not good at all.

Serbia votes - Macedonia is not a surprise.

Spain votes - Still no points for Latvia.

Greece votes - No points for Latvia yet. At all.

Denmark votes - No surprise there. Sweden with 12 points.

France votes - interesting.

Austria votes - Votes are surprising.

Andorra votes — No Russian votes expected here. But Ukraine is a surprise.

Armenia votes - Russia again…

Belarus votes (Slavs) - Moldova, Ukraine, Russia (go figure!)

Montenegro votes (Slav) - Slovenia, Macedonia, Serbia. No politics there… just cultural proximity.

*2315 CET* - OOO, spokesersons….

*2314 CET* - Whose idea was this, I wonder.

*2312 CET* - Is this when the fun starts?

*2308 CET* - Actually right now, it’s not bad at all. It’s just the headbanging cello players are a bit too much.

*2305 CET* - Let’s see how many music styles can we mix together? Hard rock? Check. Ballet? Check. Classical violin? Check. Oh, how about we throw in some circus performers? That’d be fun. This is what the end of the world will look like, thus Apocaliptico.

*2304 CET* - Is this the Finnish version of Swan Lake?

*2300 CET* - Well, the voting is drawing to a close. Although he or she came in a favorite, I’d be surprised if Ukraine wins. And voting is not about songs or performers. It’s about politics. We’ll see who’s right me or that researcher who thinks politics has nothing to do with it.

*2259 CET* - Someone just found this site by looking for a French Eurovision song download.

*2257 CET* - And let us suffer through this one more time.

*2256 CET* - It’s funny: the Eurovision’s Internet feed has no phone numbers posted. Apparently, they add those in countries where it’s being broadcast.

*2254 CET* - We all know the next Eurovision will not be in London.

*2252 CET* - Just saw in one of the sites: “The BBC presenter Terry Wogan likes Latvia, but he’s never picked a winner.”

*2245 CET* - And the voting begins. If you’re in Europe, who are you going to vote for? If I could, I’d vote for Germany.

*Moldova* - I want to be that guy to twirl the baton on the background.Apparently, she couldn’t afford to buy the whole pair of pants. She was 1,000 rubles shy, so they cut out a piece from the top.

*Armenia* - Your soft-rock favorites now come from Armenia. Is that tree on the background meant to be TP’ed? I mean, it looks like someone strategically placed toilet paper all over it.

*Turkey* - He looks like a very well dressed football (soccer) fan with his red coat and tennis shoes. And the surrounding harem still makes me question: gay or not?

*Bulgaria* - My ears are bleeding. So are my eyes. Apart from “More”, which means “Water” the song doesn’t seem to have any significant words to it.

*Romania* - He’s not even playing the guitar. “Even Italy?” Is it because Italy has not been a part of Eurovision for the last 10 years? They don’t even broadcast it there. What’s up with the universe? The French sing in partial English, the Romanians sing in French.

*United Kingdom* - I’d hate to fly with them. I’d chose Ukraine over this any time. “A complimentary drink with your meals” Seriously? I wonder if the British Airways will include it on their flights. Or maybe Ryanair to save money.

*Ukraine* - This is so god-awful much like their parliament. I thought they didn’t allow gays into the Ukrainian military.

*Serbia* - She came. Placed her hand into her pocket. Sang. It must be the communist background that makes her look like a prison warden. Are they performing laying on of hands? It’s a nice song though.

*Germany* - It’s like 1930s are back again. Wasn’t Germany a bad place in the 1930s? German swing. I actually like it if I just listen to the song and don’t have to look…

*Russia* - They’re pretty to look at. But when it comes to singing, it’s not much. They’re flat.

It’s a typical American meal. With phones.

*Latvia* - the chanting began before the song came on. I still don’t get it: why Italian? And the only guy that looks closer to being an Italian is.. well, an Italian.

*France* - Now I know their songs have a lot of play on words, but it’s not an excuse to wear that red thingy around your neck. I’m surprised that some English words entered this French song. And what’s up with the angel on the drums? He looks evil.

Eurovision - ‘Tis the only time we’re one Europe. And we’re halfway through the contest.

*Sweden* - It’s a man. It’s a woman. It’s … I don’t know. Sounds like a man. Looks like a woman. Baby, I’m a worrying kind. Would he have taken off his pants if the song had gone on a bit longer?

*Georgia* - Tooooo maaaanyeeee looong voooowels. As someone else said, “Georgia… I hope your music is better than your Parliament.”

*Greece* - A lotta hip action there. First off, she’s a lady/This is a lady’s world? Hmm. Well, if not the singing talent, then at least the Marias around him dress in short skirts ought to get some votes. This *is* a lady’s world after all.

Someone was holding the sign “Where is Andorra?” Yeah.

*Lithuania* - Sounds more like Cyprus than Lithuania.

*Hungary* - They spent money on props. That suitcase must have cost an arm and a leg. And the bus stop. That was a drinking song. As is most of blues.

Hm, they must have a lot of snow in Finland. It’s a national treasure.

*Slovenia* - Another ballad? At least this time without any backup dancers, just some folks pretending to sing. Terry Wogan translated the title as “Talk to the Hand’.

*FYR Macedonia* - How long are they going to stay FYR? How long are they going to remain “former Yugoslav Republic”? The backup dancers seem to enjoy the interpretive dance.

*Finland* - How flashy! It’s Lordi without the mask. Nice tattoo on the right arm, though.

*Ireland* Thank you for mentioning Latvia. Ireland, as you may know, is now a home for many, many, I’d say too many, Latvians. But the song may be too good and too Irish for the ESC. It’s not surprising that Ireland’s odds of winning are 101:1. But hey, I hear Irish are loved everywhere.

*Belarus* - WoRk YouR Magic… Sounds more like a signer from the Country Music Hall of Fame than from the last remaining dictatorship in Europe. Weeling? Unbuttoned shirt, white teeth, why this guy is full of himself indeed. Is the song like filled with double entandre? You’ve got the magic power/I keep the key to your tower. Hmm. Next year, let’s all go to the last remaining dictatorship for the Eurovision Song Contest.

*Spain* The Backstreet Boys speak Spanish?

*Bosnia Herzegovina* Marija Sestic I zoned out of it for a while during this performance. It was either that or resisting the desire to weep. I don’t think there’s much traction for Balkan ballads. The back up women looked like constipated hula dancers.

*2106 CET*- At least, Mikko Leppilampi changed out of his “winter clothes” he wore during the semi-finals.

*2102 CET* - Lordi, look, whos’ back?

*2059 CET* - Shh! The show’s about to start.

*2050 CET* - “Performance and lyrics, not politics and diplomacy, will decide this weekend’s Eurovision Song Contest, according to one university researcher,” reports BBC. What’s the researcher smoking? What’s lyrics got to do with it? It can’t be lyrics when the contest’s favorite sings “Sieben, sieben ai lu lu, sieben, sieben, ein zwei! Sieben, sieben, ai lu lu, EIN, ZWEI, DREI!” And what’s up with “English, nicht ferschtein”?

*2045 CET* - I’ll be biased and will say I’d like Latvia to win. I think they have a potential to do that after Thursday’s performance. At the same time, six men signing in Italian wearing top hats with jeans and quirky medals may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But neither is for some reason everyone’s favorite the Ukrainian drag act.

*1900 CET* - Unfortunately, some interesting songs and contestants were eliminated in the semi-final Thursday.

Apparently, the European audience preferred the drag acts from Ukraine compared to the drag act from Denmark. Ukraine’s Verka Serduchka apparently is one of the favorites tonight. Denmark’s DQ (Dairy Queen?) didn’t advance to the finals. So sad.

I mourn the loss of Gerli Padar, Estonia’s entry to ESC. Our northern neighbors are out of it for the second year in a row. Her looks didn’t match her live signing abilities, but one would have liked to see her again.

A relatively decent entry from Andorra, a punk rock group Anonymous went home as well. Maybe they were too good for Eurovision.

Belgium with a decent disco song (if you can put those two words next to each other) “Can you feel the love power?” didn’t advance either.

Oh well.

Also I thought I was the only one crazy enough to transform for one day from a political junkie into a crazed Eurovision fan. Okay, maybe fan was too strong of a word. A distant admirer for all its glitz and glamor.

I’m not. Here are other people.

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The Moscow Times article offers some interesting thoughts regarding the impact of the Tallinn riots on the Russian internal politics as well as the Russian-speaking population in the two Baltic States.

For the Russian-speaking population in Estonia and Latvia, this is only the latest in a string of events that offers up a lesson they would be better off learning now: They can expect no real help from anyone but themselves. Official Russia is currently neither their friend nor their ally. What would you expect from a country with such disdain and indifference for its own citizens? And how can you expect Russians to pay those politicians back any other way than in kind?

And helping themselves they must: not by staging -protests- media show stints, but by encouraging and following through with naturalization…

It is a lesson to learn for pro-Russian nationalist groups if they want to be involved in a political process. And that’s a big if.

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