Australia Day
Down Under's birthday
Australia Day is a national public holiday on January 26, commemorating the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788.
For many Australians it's a day of celebration with barbecues, fireworks, and citizenship ceremonies.
Indigenous Australians and their supporters often call it Invasion Day or Survival Day, marking the beginning of colonization and dispossession.
The date remains contentious, with ongoing debates about whether it should be changed.
Sandy waterside margin
- barbecueSlow-cook over coals
- cricketChirping legged insect
- swimmingLocomotion through water
- sunscreenUV-blocking skin cream
picnic · esky · thongs · zinc · surfing · heatwave · backyard · pool party
Explosive light displays
- barbecueSlow-cook over coals
- paradeCeremonial public procession
- festivalOrganized public celebration
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
picnic · concert · gathering · citizenship ceremony · flag raising · community event · regatta · fair
Official patriotic composition
- Southern CrossSouthern hemisphere constellation
- prideSatisfaction from one's achievements
- citizenshipStatus as state member
- national identityShared sense of nationhood
unity · heritage · mateship · nationalism · allegiance · loyalty · nationhood · civic duty
Domination through foreign settlement
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
- indigenous rightsProtections for original inhabitants
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
- dispossessionDeprival of property rights
reconciliation · First Nations · activism · cultural sensitivity · mourning · resistance · solidarity march · acknowledgment
Foreign territorial takeover
- Botany BayNew South Wales inlet
- British EmpireVast colonial domain
- convictsImprisoned felons
- penal colonyDistant settlement for exiled criminals
settlement · New South Wales · James Cook · Van Diemen's Land · proclamation · annexation · colonial settlement
beach
Sandy waterside margin
sunscreen · picnic · esky · thongs · zinc · surfing · heatwave · backyard · pool party · pavlova
fireworks
Explosive light displays
ceremony · picnic · concert · gathering · citizenship ceremony · flag raising · community event · regatta · fair · gala
national anthem
Official patriotic composition
- Southern CrossSouthern hemisphere constellation
- prideSatisfaction from one's achievements
- citizenshipStatus as state member
national identity · unity · heritage · mateship · nationalism · allegiance · loyalty · nationhood · civic duty · green and gold
colonialism
Domination through foreign settlement
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
- indigenous rightsProtections for original inhabitants
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
dispossession · reconciliation · First Nations · activism · cultural sensitivity · mourning · resistance · solidarity march · acknowledgment · colonial legacy
colonization
Foreign territorial takeover
- Botany BayNew South Wales inlet
- British EmpireVast colonial domain
- convictsImprisoned felons
penal colony · settlement · New South Wales · James Cook · Van Diemen's Land · proclamation · annexation · colonial settlement
- Australian EventsBoxing Day Test, Rainbow Serpent
- celebrationsgraduation, festival, party, wedding, fireworks
- holidaysChristmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Valentine's Day
- JanuaryNew Year's Day, resolutions, winter sales, MLK Day, Inauguration Day
- special occasionsbirthday, wedding, anniversary, graduation, retirement
- festivalsfestival, festivals, carnival, carnivals, Carnival