The Commonwealth of Australia Holidays -vs- The United States of America Holidays

With Memorial Day Weekend only days away I am extremely proud of my American heritage but saddened that I will not be able to celebrate with friends, family, and countrymen.  Typically people think of Memorial Day Weekend as the unofficial kick-off to the summer while in actuality it is a day to honor the nation’s fallen countrymen from the civil war onwards.  Since this blog is not about history lessons, I will get right into the topic.  Here is a quick glimpse at some of the key differences between US and Aussie holidays.    

Australia Day -vs- Independence Day

Australia Day – January 26^th

Australia day is the official national day of Australia and commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788 which was the start of British sovereignty over the East coast of Australia.  Currently Australia Day is a day for BBQ’s, drinking, fireworks, and national pride.  Typically the Aussie flag is spotted anywhere and everywhere and you can hear drunken Australian’s screaming Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi all day long.  Aussie’s decided to take their national pride to a new level in the beach community of Cronulla in 2005 by rioting!  The Australian Indigenous people have a totally different view of Australia Day, they kindly refer to it as “Invasion Day” to mark the day that their culture was decimated by the occupying Brits.  The reality of the day is that it is a big piss up where Australians get feisty about “protecting” the Aussie culture by having punch ups with anyone that doesn’t look like an Aussie. 

Independence Day – July 4^th

In the United States of America, Independence Day is commonly known as the 4^th of July and is dedicated to celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence from British rule in 1776.  This is a day of national pride as well but is not marred with riotous behaviour like our Aussie brethren.  If you look at the dates a little closer it shows the Brit Army getting stomped out in America in 1776 sending them back across the Pond with their tails between their legs, at that time King George the III had to go searching for a new county to call its bitch, which ultimately led to the arrival of the Brits First Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788. 

President’s Day -vs- Queen’s Birthday

 

President’s Day – 3^rd Monday in February

Presidents Day originally started off as Washington’s Birthday to commemorate the Birthday of the 1^st president of the Unites States; George Washington.  After many years it was changed to President’s Day and it is currently recognized as a day to honor all American Presidents. 

Queen’s Birthday -2^nd Monday in June

You have to love a country that doesn’t bother honoring the Prime Ministers that lead their great nation in any way, shape, or form.  Opting instead to have a national holiday to celebrate the birth of the Queen of England.  In Australia the second Monday in June is a day they pay homage to the Queen that they bow down to and kiss the ring of.  In typical Australian fashion they have the dates completely wrong, the current Queen of England which is Queen Elizabeth the II was actually born on April 21^st 1926.  I know close only counts in Horseshoes and Handgranades but give me a break they weren’t even in the same ball park….

Martin Luther King Jr. Day -vs- ???

Martin Luther King Jr. Day – 3^rd Monday in January

This is a day to honor the birth of one of the most famous Civil Rights activist in American history.  Martin Luther King Jr. gave hope to those who were not treated as equals; he brought the issue of inequality to forefront to make sure that people were treated equal regardless of color, race, creed, and gender.

Australia does not have a day that recognizes the importance of Civil Rights; actually the Australian government restricts the rights of Indigenous people to this day.  One specific example would be the current restriction of alcohol sales to Indigenous people in some Australian states.  It is actually a crime for an indigenous person who is of age to possess or consume alcohol; furthermore it is also a crime for a non-Indigenous person to supply alcohol to an Indigenous person.  I am surprised that Aussie women aren’t locked up in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant with this mentality. 

Halloween

 

Americans are known worldwide to go over and above in the celebration of Halloween.  Halloween is not just for kids to dress up, walk in their grade school parade and then hit the neighbourhood for some much anticipated trick-or-treating.  College students and adults of all ages have gotten into the Halloween spirit and go out to house parties, bars, pubs, and clubs in outrageous costumes.  If you were to poll a cross section of the US population between the ages of 18-35 you would find an overwhelming amount feel that Halloween is one of, if not their favorite holiday of the year!

I have to say that Aussies have caught on a little to the Halloween rage but haven’t taken it as far as the US population just yet.  I personally feel that they will catch up sooner than later as I have seen better showings year in and year out since arriving in Sydney! 

 

At the end of the day all we really care about are more public holidays being recognized by employers to add to all of our work/life balance FOR ALL AUSTRALIANS & AMERICANS!!!