Participants of the event carried colorful balloons, as well as posters with signs like “I am proud be Dad”, “My family of honor”, “I love you Dad” and others.
The procession started at the Freedom Monument in the city center. From there the participants marched to the tune of music played by the Home Guard brass band to Vermane Park where the Mammamuntetiem.lv (For mothers and fathers) nongovernmental organization was holding a special festival dedicated to the fathers.
As LETA observed, the festival drew a large crowd of people.
The festival’s program included a concert and various family activities like sports competitions, experiments, educational shows and games, creative workshops, open-air bowling and food tasting among others.
The idea of the festivities is to strengthen the Father’s Day tradition in Latvia, to highlight father’s role in children’s lives and to encourage dads to spend more time with their families and kids.
That theme was taken up by President Raimonds Vējonis separately in a Father'd Day address published on his website. He also managed to mention Latvia's centenary in the context of fathers, saying:
"This year, the state of Latvia is 100 years old. This would not be possible without strong families and people, in which a strong father has played a key role. Father is our support and mentor. The person who creates our understanding of good and evil teaches the love of the fatherland and pride in his country. "
He also urged all fathers and grandfathers to spend more time with their children and grandchildren.
