Australia Day
Australia Day is Australia's official national day, January 26. It commemorates the landing of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove on that day in 1788.
Celebrations
Australia Day is a national public holiday. For some years the holiday was held on the closest Monday, to provide a long weekend. It is now held on the actual anniversary, unless 26 January happens to fall on a weekend, in which case the public holiday is still held on the following Monday.
Australia Day is marked by civic celebrations around the country, including Order of Australia and Australian of the Year awards for outstanding achievement. Citizenship ceremonies are also held on Australia Day.
One of Australia's largest fireworks display occurs on this day in the city of Sydney. Fireworks displays are also held in other cities and towns.
Criticism
Many Australians are indifferent to the celebrations and treat the day as just another holiday. The celebrations arouse dislike in others; some comment on how the arrival of the British to Australia affected the Aboriginal people of the country and some term Australia Day "Invasion Day," regarding it as celebrating Aboriginal subjugation. This has also led to discussion about changing the date of Australia Day.
Suggested changes to the date
Some have suggested making ANZAC Day Australia's national day, or changing to January 1, commemorating 1 January 1901 when Australia's six colonies federated into one nation. Each of the alternatives raised also pose problems — ANZAC Day because many war veterans believe that it is their day, also that it is also a New Zealand national holiday, while 1 January is already a public holiday and is in the middle of the Christmas holiday season.
Many supporters of the continued use of Australia Day as Australia's national day point out that 26 January commemorates an actual historical event, similar to ANZAC Day, Bastille Day in France, and 4 July in the United States.
Until suitable alternatives reveal themselves naturally with a consensus of support, Australia Day is almost certain to remain 26 January. The issue is unlikely to be resolved until the issue of Australian republicanism is definitively resolved — if a change to Australia's form of government occurs, it has been suggested that the date of the changeover should become the national civic holiday.
This debate is generally accompanied by debate about other major national symbols, such as the Australian flag and the national anthem, "Advance Australia Fair".
External links
History
Official sites
Critical
Referenced By
1788 | 26 January | 26th January | Australia | Australia/Government | Australian | Australian Commonwealth | Australian Natives Association | Australian Of The Year Award | Australian history before 1901 | Australian of the Year | Australian public holidays | Commonwealth of Australia | Government of Australia | Historical anniversaries/January 26 | History of Australia before 1901 | Holiday | Holidays | ISO 3166-1:AU | January 26 | January 26th | Legal holiday | List of commemorative days | Order of Australia | Politics of Australia | Public holiday | Sydney Cove | Sydney Harbour Bridge | Triple J Hottest 100
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