Australia Day - Celebrations, Suggested changes to the date

A public holiday in Australia commemorating the founding of the colony of New South Wales on 26 January 1788; held annually on 26 January if a Monday, otherwise on the Monday following that date.

Australia Day
Also called	Foundation Day, Anniversary Day, Survival Day, Invasion Day, Day of Mourning and Protest (by some Indigenous Australians)
Observed by	most Australians in the form of a public holiday
Type	Patriotic, National
Significance	Date of landing of First Fleet in Port Jackson in 1788
Date	January 26
Observances	Family meetings, parades, citizenship ceremonies, Order of Australia honours, Australian of the Year presented
Related to	Anzac Day, a celebration of Australia's "baptism of fire" as a nation during World War I, all other national holidays

Australia Day is Australia's official national day, January 26.

In 1888 all colonial capitals (with the exception of Adelaide) celebrated 'Anniversary Day' and by 1935 all states of Australia were celebrating January 26 as Australia Day (although it was still known as Anniversary Day in NSW). In that year, NSW was the only state to abandon the traditional long weekend and the annual Anniversary Day public holiday was held on the actual anniversary day - Wednesday 26 January.

Since 1994 all states and territories have taken the Australia Day public holiday on January 26.

Celebrations

Australia Day is a national public holiday.

Australia Day is marked by civic celebrations around the country, including the Order of Australia and Australian of the Year awards for outstanding achievement.

Two significant events in the Australian music scene occur on Australia Day - the Triple J Hottest 100, and the Sydney leg of the Big Day Out music festival. There is also often a one day cricket match such as the 2006 Australia Day match in Adelaide. In recent years, some indigenous Australians have also celebrated the day as "Survival Day," thankful that their ancestors were not completely wiped out by the newly arrived settlers.

In Sydney, on Australia Day 2006, there was a Woggan-ma-gule ceremony honouring the past and celebrating the present involving the New South Wales Governor and Indigenous Australians.

Australia Day is also treated with ambivalence by those who consider the anniversary of the founding of one colony not relevant to Australia as a whole.

Suggested changes to the date

Some have suggested making ANZAC Day Australia's national day, or changing to January 1, commemorating 1 January 1901 when Australia's six colonies federated into one nation. Each of the alternatives raised also pose problems — ANZAC Day because many war veterans believe that it is their day, and that it is also a public holiday in New Zealand, Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga, while 1 January is already a public holiday and is in the middle of the Christmas holiday season.

Many supporters of the continued use of Australia Day as Australia's national day point out that 26 January commemorates an actual historical event, similar to ANZAC Day, Bastille Day in France, Canada Day and July 4 in the United States.