See you at the Latvian market! Parliament declared a national holiday in honor of the World Cup bronze medal

The Latvian parliament has declared Monday a national holiday after the national ice hockey team won bronze at the World Ice Hockey Championships.

Latvia made the big bang of the Games by defeating the USA in overtime 4–3 in the bronze game. It blew up the joy in the puck-crazy country, for which even getting to the semifinals was a huge cause for celebration.

The vote on the national holiday organized by the Latvian Parliament, or Saeima, was basically unanimous. 52 MPs voted in favor of the day off, three were absent, and none opposed the idea.

– Since our independence, ice hockey has been one of the most popular sports in our country. Therefore, our important task is to ensure that this historic act remains in our nation’s memory, says Saeima’s press release.

The national holiday gives Latvians the opportunity to welcome the hero team back to their homeland. The flight from Tampere leaves in the morning. The folk festival starts around 1 pm local time.