There will be a festive mood in Latvia on May 4 as the Baltic state of 2.5 million people marks 20 years since it regained its freedom from the Soviet Union, dpa reported. In the days leading up to the anniversary, the claret-and-white striped Latvian flag was being hung from every public building; numerous festive events were taking place in Riga's parks; and an open-air photographic exhibition was erected in the central Dome Square. On May 4, 1990, 138 deputies of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Latvia passed a declaration making the Latvian SSR null and void. Then they reinstated the independent Republic of Latvia, which was founded on November 18, 1918 and lasted until the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact divided Eastern Europe between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1940. Emerging from the parliament building, they were greeted by large crowds showering them with flowers and singing traditional Latvian songs. Twenty years later, there aren't quite as many people in the streets outside the parliament, but there is still plenty of activity. As well as the workmen making the capital city look its best, groups of schoolchildren from across the country scurry from building to building taking part in a treasure hunt designed to educate them in recent history. "We are Latvian patriots and May 4 is a symbol of our freedom," says Inta, a 16-year-old student from Balvi, in the north-east of the country. "Our parents have told us about what happened, but it's interesting to come here and see where it all happened," she told the German Press Agency dpa. -- SPA
