AUSTRALIA (COMMONWEALTH UNION) – Independence days are usually a day for a country to tell tales of how heroically they won wars against regions to gain independence for their mother land and Australia is no different.
Australia day is more or less the official National Day of Australia which can also be called the Independence Day. It falls on the 26th of January. Now the reason for this is that the 26th is that this date marks the landing of the first fleet at the Sydney Cove in 1788. On this date the fleet also raised the union flag and the raising of the flag was done by Arthur Phillip. The flag was raised following the exploration of Port Jackson in New South Wales
But of course, in present day Australia the celebration is a lot more different. Australia as a country has grown. There are new cultures, new societies and new landscapes to celebrate. The celebrations that are planned usually in a melting pot of these new cultures, societies and landscapes. The nation comes together as a new family and enjoy the community and the unity.
Apart from the celebrations one of the new things the Australians do is that they make a point to welcome new people into their country and into their community.
There will always be a meaning for Australia day granted it may have changed over the years its still something that is celebrated and people all have the same feelings towards it. The reason and significance although contested all the time and the evolution has been in leaps and bounds it does not make the day any less special to the people of that country.
The date at the end of it all means that the end of British Sovereignty in Australia, it meant that a new era was upon them and the people were more than happy to celebrate. It is possible that all states do not celebrate on the same day but it has to be noted that it is celebrated. How and when they celebrate is not a point of argument.
These celebrations have a long history dating back to 1808 when it became an official celebration. There was also another official celebration with the founding of New South Wales in 1818.
But it took a while for all the Australian states and territories to adopt the use of the words Australia Day. To recognize the first landing of 1788 took its own time. But although it was seen in 1788 it was not until more that 200 years later in 1994 that the 26th of January became a consistently marked as a public holiday by all the states and territories. Nit should be mentioned that the day was originally supposed to be called ANA day, Anniversary Day or Foundations Day.
In the celebrations now have changed a little since then and every year the country has the celebrations with the presenting oof the award to the Australian of the year, this is done on the eve of the holiday. They Anniversary Day continue the celebration by giving out the list for the Australian Day Honours which is then followed by speeches but the Governor General and the Prime Minister.
The day is a national holiday and communities in all states and territories have festivals, concerts and citizenship ceremonies. Its day where all communities large or small come together as one to celebrate their independence. These celebrations have gone to become the biggest civic event in Australia.
These celebrations are seen as a way to bring people together as Australia has always had a melting pot of cultures. It is necessary for it to be seen as a united country and these celebrations help do that.
