Anzac Day
Anzac Day NZ
Interested in Anzac Day facts, Anzac poppy history and Anzac Day services? This article will cover everything you wanted to know about celebrating the bravery of the Australian and NZ armies during World War One.
The NZS.com Anzac Day article contains anzac day facts, information on anzac day services and the anzac poppy.
Anzac Day marks the commemoration of the first major military action fought by the Australian army and the New Zealand army during World War One. ANZAC is an acronym, standing for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
What event does Anzac Day memorialise?
On the 25th of April in 1915, the Allied Soldiers (members of the British Empire - including Australia and New Zealand) landed on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula, in Turkish territory. The troops were in Gallipoli as part of a plan to threaten the Ottoman Empire - Germany's ally, by invading the capital city of Constantinople (now Istanbul). It was hoped that the Turkish would surrender, but the Allied Forces encountered unpredictably strong resistance from the Turks, and by the end of 1915 they were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties. 8,000 Australian and 2,700 New Zealanders' lives were lost.
The 25th of April quickly became the day to remember the sacrifice of those who had died in the war. Named Anzac Day in 1916, it was first celebrated with a march in London, and an expedition to place a large wooden cross on a hill in the small New Zealand town of Tinui, near Masterton. Anzac Day was officially made an observed holiday in 1920. After World War Two, the day became inclusive of the commemoration of lives lost by Australians and New Zealanders in that war as well - and in subsequent years was broadened to include those killed in all military operations in which the countries have been involved.
Anzac Day does not mark a military triumph, like commonly believed. For New Zealanders, it marks a moment in history that showcased bravery, tenacity, practicality and ingenuity - attributes that help define New Zealand as a nation. Anzac Day gives New Zealanders a greater confidence in their identities, and pride in the international contribution that such a small nation can make.
How do I celebrate Anzac Day?
Attend a dawn service:
The first official dawn ceremony took place at the Sydney Cenotaph in 1927. Before dawn the war veterans gathered and were order to a ‘stand-to', and two minutes of silence would follow. Before the silence, the bugle call "The Last Post" was played, and the service was concluded with "Reveille". Today, dawn services are often more elaborate, encompassing hymns, readings, laying of wreaths and rifle volleys, but these bugle calls are still tradition, along with the Australian and New Zealand anthems.
Services begin around the country early on the morning of April 25. Major locations include the Auckland Domain Cenotaph (5am), the Wellington Domain Cenotaph (5.45am) and the Cenotaph Cathedral Square, Christchurch (6.30am).
If you cannot attend a service, Judy Bailey, one of New Zealand's most experienced broadcasters, will be representing New Zealand in Gallipoli. Her ceremony coverage plus veteran interviews, debates and documentaries will be shown throughout the day on Maori Television. There are also various war memorial museums around the country with Anzac Day displays.
Buy a poppy:
Poppies have an enduring association with Anzac Day, dating back to the 1920s. Made of light cloth or paper to signify the poppy flower, poppies are pinned to chests all over the world as a vivid reminder of the blood sacrificed during war. You will be able to purchase a poppy for a donation to the RSA from the Friday before Anzac Day.
Put your apron on:
Why not bake some Anzac biscuits, and re-create the food sent to soldiers during the war with this Anzac biscuits recipe.
Trivia about Anzac Day:
- Conflict did not take place on April 25, 1915, this was merely the day that the first troops arrived. The campaign was dragged on with soldiers being killed right up to the evacuation in December, 1915.
- Poppy Day is not the same thing as Anzac Day - it is the Friday before, when volunteers from the RSA begin to sell poppies to wear on the left lapel for the week leading up to Anzac Day.
- A common misconception about the poppies is that they were the flower growing on the hills of Gallipoli when the troops arrived. Poppies actually originate from the 19th century Napoleonic wars, where red poppies were the first to bloom over the graves of soldiers in northern France and Belgium.
- If Anzac Day falls on a weekend day, the public holiday is not moved with the following Monday. This means the 2008 public holiday will be the last day off to commemorate Anzac Day this decade.
Looking for more information on Anzac Day? Check out the military history section on NZS.com
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Seasons and Celebrations images from Flickr: poppy field, public domain and anzac day.
