ANZAC Day Observed in Australia ― Date, History, and Details
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History of ANZAC Day Observed in Australia and How to Celebrate/ Observe It
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders “who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations” and “the contribution and suffering of all those who have served”. It is observed on 25 April each year.
Anzac Day was first commemorated in 1916, one year after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landed at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. The ANZAC tradition began when Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed together at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915. They were met with fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders and the campaign quickly became a stalemate. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were evacuated from the peninsula.
The casualties and deaths of the ANZACs at Gallipoli shaped the national identity of both Australia and New Zealand and 25 April has become an annual day of remembrance for the two countries. In 1916, Anzac Day was officially commemorated for the first time in Australia and New Zealand. Services were held in both countries on 25 April to honour the Anzacs who had died at Gallipoli the year before.
In Australia, Anzac Day is a public holiday. Commemorative services are held at dawn – the time of the original landing – across the country. In many towns and cities, Anzac Day marches involving ex-servicemen and women and current members of the Australian Defence Force are held. The day is also marked by Remembrance Day services and two minutes’ silence at 11:00am – the time of the Armistice that ended World War I.