On June 7, 1920, Baumaņu Kārlis’s song “Dievs, svētī Latviju!” was officially approved as the national anthem of the Republic of Latvia. The song, first publicly performed at the First Latvian Song Festival in 1873, had become a sign of national self-awareness and was also sung at the proclamation of the state on November 18, 1918. From that day, it was no longer only a people’s prayer — it became an official symbol of independent Latvia.

After the War of Independence, the new state had to consolidate not only its borders and institutions, but also shared, recognizable symbols. The anthem’s official approval linked the 19th-century tradition of national awakening songs with the statehood of the Republic of Latvia.