In honor of the 18th of November, Otto and Joe come together to discuss Latvian Proclamation Day (often called "independence day") including how it came to happen, how it has been celebrated in the past and present, what it means to Latvians today, why people wear ribbons and carry torches, and the peculiar reason why the more than 30,000 people named Aleksandrs are especially important on this day.

Opening and closing theme: "Div' dūjiņas gaisā skrēja" performed by Lizete Iesmiņa-Mihelsone in 1908

Latvian traditional folk song, gramophone recording in the public domain

Courtesy of the National Library of Latvia https://audio.lndb.lv/68084/