How is Australia Day celebrated?
I have a few traditions. One of them is to only listen to Australian music on the day. I used to listen to the Triple J Hottest 100 countdown (which is apparently the world's largest music poll) but my music tastes have moved a long way away from Triple J (I've literally never heard most of the songs they list). But I listen to only Aussie music on Australia day which means I usually put Midnight Oil, Hunter and Collectors, V Spy V Spy, TISM and others on random. Since I've had kids I've tried to take them out to some local Australia day celebration that's held during the day in my local area. I also take the time to make some acknowledgement that Australia day isn't a celebration for every one in the nation. I don't go so far as to call it Invasion Day and mark it with a Black Armband but I do like to pause in some way and acknowledge the fact that we're commemorating the start of what is effectively an invasion and not a peaceful colonisation. My philosophy is that Australia should have a national day when we celebrate being Aussies. I'd like there to be a better day to do it on but I'm not sure what day is more appropriate. I'm holding out for the day in the near future when we can celebrate Republic Day every year to commemorate the day when we became truly independent.
Why does Australia celebrate the ANZAC day?
I will add to the other answers.The war had a large impact on Australia.“from a population of fewer than five million, 416,809 men enlisted, of which over 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner. The latest figure for those killed is given as 62,000.”Not just the big cities but even the small country towns had those who served and came home and those that didn’t.ANZAC day is not a celebration but a remembrance of those who served and are still serving.The Rock NSW has a population of around 200 but it hasThe avenue of remeberenceand a memorialI attended the dawn service two years ago and it was attended by about 80 people including the local member of parliament. There was no talk of glory or battles won (except where the the ANZAC started) but remembering those who served and died and those who returned home and those still serving. People were from old to the young. The gentleman who ran the service was in his 70s I would say and tho he had a few hiccups at it, what amazed me was he was blind and did it all from memory.I served in the RAAF and have the long service medal and Anzac day is the only day that I wear it and with pride.My grandfather was in he !st Light Horse. My sister was army and my brother was RAAF.Anzac Day is not a day of warmongering or bragging of exploits it is simply a day of remembrance and the only day you can play two up anywhere legally.“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.At the going down of the sun and in the morningWe will remember them.”We will remember them
How is Valentine's day celebrated in Australia?
HiI am in Australia now with my brother. I just came across this question here and checked out some of the answers. It’s a very relevant question on how to spend Valentine’s Day here.Most of the answers written here gave me a lot of ideas about the culture and how people of this country are concerned about Valentine’s Day.I just came across an awesome contest yesterday on Facebook from an Australian company, I am just sharing that link over here: Top Story Selected by us Wins $500It will be really nice to have some rewards as well when we celebrate. I am going through some more contests like this on Social channels and will definitely share it here.
How does Australia celebrated all soul's day and all saints day?
All Souls Day is a Roman Catholic religious celebration, so those in Australia who are Catholic celebrate it. However, those are aren't Catholic, don't. People do celebrate both celebrations, but it is not given its own public holiday, because Australia is a secular country. Only Christmas is given it's own public holiday which is pretty standard in western countries.
Should the date of Australia Day be changed?
Only in Australia would such a discussion even occur.January 26th is also Indian national day. This date marked the start of mass violence against Hindus which left a million people dead. No Hindus complain that India celebrates its national day on the start of mass anti-Hindu violence.Thanksgiving in the US celebrates the first successful colony in the US, and the start of genocide and dispossession of its indigenous people.July 4th in the US - independence day - celebrates the start of a revolutionary war in which tens of thousands of people were killed, simply because of their political views. I don’t see their descendants complaining that this date celebrates the murder of their ancestors.July 4th is also Bastille day. It was the start of an orgy of violence based only on concepts of class, and the robbery of their assets. Not too many Frenchmen descended from the aristocracy complain that the date is insensitive because it celebrates the murder of their ancestors.National days celebrate “turning points” - when the nation set on the path to where it is now. In France, this was the establishment of the republic model. In the US and India it was independence. And for Australia, it was European colonization.In every national “turning point” there were “winners” and “losers”. That is an inevitable consequence of turning points - things change, and not everybody agrees with or benefits from the change.But only in Australia is their this idea that the event which was in the turning point in our history - the event which set us on the path to who we are now - shouldn’t be celebrated. A minority tries to use a day of unity as a day of division to push a political agenda.If the descendants of the aristocracy in France demonstrated against Bastille day, decried it as classist, and called it murder day, maybe. If Hindus demonstrated in the streets of Delhi against their independence day because it celebrated the start of anti-Hindu pogroms, maybe. If the descendants of the British murdered in the days after July 4th were holding demonstrations and calling it “robbery day”, maybe.But these nations have a little more maturity. They celebrate as their national days events which changed their country, and celebrate what they have achieved together. They wouldn’t tolerate people complaining that their ancestors weren’t necessarily benefited by the change. They are days of unity, not division.Australia could do with a little more maturity in this regard.