Latvia’s flag features a deep carmine red field bisected by a narrow white horizontal stripe. First recorded in a 13th‑century chronicle and re‑adopted after independence, it was legally established on 15 June 1921, banned under Soviet rule (1940–1990), and restored in February 1990 ahead of the 1991 re‑establishment of independence. The red symbolizes sacrifice and resolve; the white denotes truth and honor. Law fixes a 2:1 ratio and precise stripe widths (the white band at one‑fifth of height) with strict protocols for display on state buildings, flag days, half‑masting, and dignified retirement. The unique ‘Latvian red’ shade and narrow central stripe distinguish the design, which serves today across government, diplomacy, and public life as a resilient emblem of national identity.
The Latvian national flag—deep carmine red with a narrow white horizontal stripe—combines medieval legend, legal precision, and modern political resilience. Its earliest known reference appears in the Rhymed Chronicle of Livonia (circa 1280), where a red banner with a white band is linked to Latgalian warriors. A popular legend recounts that a wounded leader’s blood stained the cloth’s edges while its center, left white beneath him, remained unmarked; the revived design would echo that pattern in stylized form.
Latvia’s modern statehood dates from 18 November 1918. As the new republic consolidated after the War of Independence, the Saeima established national symbols, and on 15 June 1921 the red–white–red flag was adopted in law. Guidance specified the flag’s proportions at 2:1 (length to height) and defined the central white stripe’s width at one‑fifth of the flag’s height, creating the distinctive narrow band between the larger red fields. Authorities also promulgated etiquette for public display on institutions, schools, and foreign missions; for order of precedence with foreign and municipal flags; and for half‑masting during mourning.
The red used in state publications is often called “Latvian red”: a deep carmine or mahogany hue, darker than most crimson flags and critical to visual identity. The white stripe reads as clarity and truth; in common interpretation the red signifies sacrifice, courage, and the blood shed in defense of the homeland. The combination—both austere and immediately recognizable—helped the young republic present itself abroad with a dignified, non‑derivative emblem amid a European field of tricolours and heraldic devices.
Sovereignty was interrupted in 1940 when the Soviet Union annexed Latvia. The national flag was outlawed, replaced by the Latvian SSR flag, a red field with a gold hammer and sickle and a blue–white wave at the base. During the German occupation (1941–1944) and the subsequent Soviet re‑occupation (1944–1991), public use of the Latvian flag was prohibited and could be punished. Nonetheless, the red–white–red endured in exile communities and private memory, appearing in clandestine contexts and émigré institutions as a pledge of continuity.
In the late 1980s, the national movement surged under the Popular Front of Latvia as glasnost and perestroika loosened restrictions. Mass demonstrations and the Baltic Way (23 August 1989) made the old flag visible again. In February 1990, the Supreme Council restored the red–white–red as Latvia’s national flag, months before the 21 August 1991 constitutional act re‑established independence and international recognition followed. The 1990–1992 legal framework reaffirmed proportions, shades, and display protocols, re‑embedding the flag in public life and international representation.
Current legislation prescribes the 2:1 ratio; positions the white band centrally at exactly one‑fifth of height; and defines colour coordinates for consistent manufacture. Official “flag days” mandate display on public buildings—among them 4 May (Declaration of Independence), 18 November (Proclamation Day), and commemorations of historical events. Protocol sets rules for half‑masting, for combined display with the European Union flag and other national flags, and for respectful retirement—typically by burning—of worn flags. The national coat of arms appears on certain presidential and military standards, but the civil and state national flag remains the unadorned red–white–red.
In civic life the flag is ubiquitous: at schools, sports, and cultural festivals; at embassies and international organizations; and in diaspora communities, where it serves as a concise sign of identity. Maritime variants and the presidential standard exist within separate regulations, preserving the core palette while adapting to service needs. Educational curricula teach the flag’s history and usage rules, reinforcing the link between legal norms and shared symbolism.
The Latvian flag’s longevity—medieval reference, interwar codification, suppression, clandestine endurance, and legal restoration—has given it unusual moral weight. Unlike composite emblems dense with heraldry, its restrained geometry communicates resolve and clarity. That restraint, underwritten by precise legal standards and dignified public use, keeps the flag legible at all scales—from the Gediminas Tower‑style hilltop ceremonies of the Baltic revival to digital displays at European summits—while preserving a narrative of steadfast independence central to modern Latvian statehood.