What is 'Lāčplēsis Day' in Latvia?

It is a day characterised by services, parades and the lighting of candles at Rīga Castle and other public places around the country, and the laying of flowers upon war graves.

Known as 'Lāčplēsis Day' (Lāčplēsis being the name of Latvia's mythical warrior hero), while it coincides with the date upon which the 1918 Armistice at the end of the First World War is commemorated in many other countries, the Latvian events are subtly different, officially marking the day a year later in ...