Congratulations Norway!
The Norwegian Constitution Day (commonly referred to simply as the seventeenth of May ) is an official holiday every year. The celebration is to commemorate the signing of the Norwegian constitution in 1814, which declared Norway to be an independent nation. The most striking features of the celebration are all the parades, marching bands, people in national costumes, flags, hot dogs and ice cream. There are parades all over Norway on 17 th May, many of which are broadcasted on Norwegian TV. They mainly consist of children, and the largest parade, first introduced in 1870, is the one marching the streets of Oslo and past the Royal Palace. This year it will consist of children, teachers and marching bands from 109 elementary and secondary schools. Each school has it's own banner, the children carry flags, sing the national anthem and other songs associated with the celebration. The only military element of the day, is the performances by the Royal Guard's drill squad and m...