Several Norwegian cities are banning helium-filled mylar balloons from their May 17th celebration of Norwegian Constitution Day, and Oslo is considering joining the list.
The festive balloons, which have become increasingly popular at the annual parades, are seen as a pollution issue when they float away. There is also concern about excess use of the helium. One city, Trondheim, will allow the balloons if they are not light enough to escape. But Stavanger, Bergen, Haugesund and Tromso are banning them altogether.
The Green Party is calling for a national ban on helium balloons, and not just for the Constitution Day celebration.
The Constitution Day celebrations, which feature youth parades and patriotic displays, began in 1814, when a constitution was proclaimed in an attempt to stave off Norway being ceded to Sweden in the wake of the Napoleonic wars. When that failed, it became a day of pro-independence demonstrations, and finally after independence in 1905, a national holiday.
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