Valmiera Municipality to Mark Lāčplēsis Day With Torch Marches, Candle Displays and Memorial Events
On 11 November, Lāčplēsis Day, Valmiera Municipality will hold torch marches, services and candle-lighting events in Valmiera and across the municipality. Traffic in Valmiera will be restricted during the march.
On 11 November, Lāčplēsis Day, when Latvia honours the heroes of its independence battles, Valmiera Municipality will host a series of events in the city of Valmiera and in its smaller towns and parishes. The local authority invites residents to join torch marches, memorial services and candle-lighting events. The programme is linked to Latvia's national holidays, observed in November.
Valmiera
From 4 pm to 5.30 pm, anyone can have a photo taken at Valmiera Culture Centre in the spirit of Latvia's birthday. The photos will be compiled into a video greeting for Latvia, shown on 18 November as a projection on the culture centre wall, on valmierasnovads.lv and on the municipality's social media. At 5 pm a service will take place at St Simon's Church in Valmiera, with songs by the duo "Mediante" – Zane and Māris Rozenfelds.
From 5.30 pm, Valmiera Viesturs Secondary School invites people to make a candle pattern near the school; at 7 pm the principal, Uldis Jansons, will give an address, followed by group singing. Visitors may bring their own mug for tea.
The torch march begins at 6 pm at Valmiera Culture Centre and will proceed along Rīgas iela and Semināra iela to the Centra cemetery, where a memorial moment is planned for about 6.25 pm. Speakers include pastor Andris Akmens, chaplain Juris Škapars and council chairman Jānis Baiks. Traffic will be delayed during the march, traffic lights switched off, and city and regional buses will be held up until it ends.
At 6.30 pm the Valmiera Municipality Foundation hosts an Evening of Strength in the courtyard at Rīgas iela 27, with music, soup, tea and a presentation of the charity calendar "Goat in Valmiera Municipality". On 12 November at 6.30 pm, a "Strength Step" run or a 5.4-kilometre walk starts from the square by the culture centre; participation is free.
Elsewhere in the municipality
Torch marches or memorial moments are also planned on 11 November in Mazsalaca, Matīši, Naukšēni, Rūjiena, Strenči and Trikāta. Candles will be lit at Jaunburtnieki cemetery, Brenguļi bridge and Mūrmuiža footbridge, while Burtnieki and Ēvele will have candle displays. In Naukšēni, the film "Tumšā robeža" will be shown after the march; admission is 3 euros.
