Australia Day
Australia’s Moment to Shine: Australia Day
Australia had been inhabited by people called the Aboriginal Australians until January 26, 1788 the day of the landing of the First Fleet under Captain Arthur Phillip in the coast of Sydney called Sydney Cove. 12 days after the landing, Australia had undergone a formal possession and was set up as the Colony of New South Wales. January 26 for the Australians went through various names and was celebrated through various means until it formally became a National Day throughout the land. This is so because mixed emotions about the celebration as well as the actual day of holding it has long been debated throughout the history of Australia.
The Various Names of the National Holiday:
It used to be called the First Landing or the Foundation Day in the year 1808 and was later declared as a non-working holiday for government workers in the year 1818. This marked the 30th year anniversary of the celebration. Governor Macquarie, then the officiating head had also set up a 30-gun salute in a place called Dawes Point to commemorate the First Landing of Captain Arthur Phillip.
In the year 1888, January 26 was called the Anniversary Day for all the colonial capitals in Australia except Adelaide. This name was later changed in the year 1935 to what is now known worldwide as the Australia Day. New South Wales however, still refer to this day as the Anniversary Day.
The aboriginal Australians call this day the Invasion Day since they regard January 26 as the day that their culture was forever changed because of the arrival of the British Settlers. In the year 2006, a Woggan-ma-gule Ceremony was held during Australia Day to commemorate the indigenous Australians and the past. They labeled this as the Survival Festival, honoring their ancestors who have survived the invasion.
When Is It Celebrated?
After the year 1818, banks and other public offices decided to follow in the footsteps of giving their employees a day off work. It used to be that the non-working holiday was set for the Monday closest to January 26 to give workers a long weekend off. This long weekend celebration became a tradition until the year 1938 when the British Settlement in New South Wales decided to break away from the tradition by celebrating the national day on the actual anniversary date of the First Landing even though it was on a Wednesday. The year 1938 also marked the 150th anniversary of Australia Day and preparations for it started two years earlier with the formation of a Celebrations Council in the year 1936. In 1994, all states and territories of Australia followed suit and began celebrating January 26 on its actual date.
Civic celebrations like the awarding of the Order of Australia, Australia Day Achievement Medallion and Australian of the Year for outstanding achievement happen annually during this day. Citizenship ceremonies as well as Air Force aerial displays are also ways of celebrating. Firework displays and concerts at night top off Australia Day.
