Australia Day (previously known as Anniversary Day, Foundation Day, and ANA Day)[1]is the official national day of Australia. Celebrated annually on 26 January, the date commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788 and the proclamation at that time of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of New Holland.[2]Although it was not known as Australia Day until over a century later, records of celebrations on 26 January date back to 1808, with the first official celebration of the formation of New South Wales held in 1818. It is presently an official public holiday in every state and territory of Australia and is marked by the presentation of the Australian of the Year Awards on Australia Day Eve, announcement of the Honors List for the Order of Australia and addresses from the Governor-General and Prime Minister. With community festivals, concerts and citizenship ceremonies the day is celebrated in large and small communities and cities around the nation. Australia Day has become the biggest annual civic event in Australia.[3]The date is controversial to some Australians, particularly those of Indigenous heritage, leading to the use of alternate names, such as Invasion Day and Survival Day. Proposals have been made to change the date of Australia Day, but these have failed to gain widespread public support.The Founding of Australia, 1788500,000 people watch the Lotterywest Skyworks at Perth, Western Australia, Australia Day, 2006Australia Day barbecue at Berridge Park, Denmark, Western AustraliaAnzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, commemoratedby both countries on 25 April every year to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all those who died and served in military operations for their countries.[1][2] Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tonga. It is no longer observed as a national holiday in Samoa.Anzac Day at Manly, Brisbane, Australia, 1922A large commemoration march in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales(April 2008)The Last Post is played at an Anzac Day ceremony in Port Melbourne, Victoria, 25 April 2005. Ceremonies like this are held in virtually every suburb and town in Australia and New Zealand on Anzac Day each year.Each year on ANZAC Day in Te Awamutu, New Zealand the graves of War Veterans are decoratedAnzac Day dawn service at the New Zealand Memorial, Hyde Park Corner, London, 25 April 2008.Boxing Day in AustraliaDecember 26 is the Boxing Day holiday celebrated throughout most of Australia, except the state of South Australia. South Australia observes a holiday known as Proclamation Day, instead of Boxing Day, on December 26.Boxing Day is a popular time to shop for post-Christmas sales.What do people do?Many important sports events are held on Boxing Day. The Boxing Day test match is a cricket game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game is between the Australian National cricket team and other national teams touring Australia. The match starts on Boxing Day and may last up to five days. Between 1999 and 2007, the Australian cricket team won all of the Boxing Day Test matches, marking a huge victory for the nation.Another important sporting event that starts on Boxing Day is the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. This is also known as the Bluewater Classic and covers a distance of 630 nautical miles between Sydney Harbour and Hobart on the island of Tasmania. Traditionally, it took about six days for the yachts to reach Hobart, but now the fastest yacht usually reaches the finish in less than two days. The media interest in these prominent sports mean television programs are dominated by sporting events on Boxing Day. People also spend the day travelling home from their relatives or to an intended destination for their summer holiday, which tends to coincide with the school holiday period.In some parts of Australia, the post-Christmas sales begin on Boxing Day. Stores offer their excess stock that was not sold before Christmas Day at reduced prices. Many people take advantage of the sales to buy products or services at significantly lower prices.Public lif eBoxing Day is a public holiday. Schools, other educational establishments and many organizations are closed. In some states, all stores are allowed to open. In others only certain types of stores are open. Many shops are open in tourist areas. Most public transport systems operate a reduced service. However, in some areas, there is no public transport on Boxing Day.BackgroundBoxing Day is a holiday in many countries, such as Australia, in the Commonwealth of Nations. It was traditionally a day for employers in England to give bonuses of money, leftover food or old clothing to their employees, or for lords to give agricultural tools and seeds for the coming year to their tenants. These gifts were presented in a box. Some people believe that this is the reason that December 26 is known as Boxing Day. Others think that the origin of the name is related to the box into which parishioners put church donations. In some areas, this box was opened on Boxing Day and the contents were distributed to the poor people of the parish.Note: Many Australian states and territories state in their holiday legislation that Christmas Day and/or Boxing Day are public holidays on December 25 and 26 unless they fall on a Saturday and/or Sunday, in which the following days (eg. Monday or Tuesday) that are generally working days, are substituted public holidays..au/about-australia/australian-story/easter-in-australiaThe Easter holiday in AustraliaThe four-day 'weekend'In addition to its religious significance, Easter in Australia is enjoyed as a four-day holiday weekend starting on Good Friday and ending on Easter Monday.This extra-long weekend is an opportunity for Australians to take a mini-holiday, or get together with family and friends. Easter often coincides with school holidays, so many people with school aged children incorporate Easter into a longer family holiday. Easter is the busiest time for domestic air travel in Australia, and a very popular time for gatherings such as weddings and christenings.Sydney Royal Easter ShowRusty the rodeo clown, Easter Show, Sydney, 1991. Photo by Jon Lewis. Image courtesy of the National Library of Australia25.The Sydney Royal Easter Show26 is Australia's largest annual event and celebrates all everything from our bush heritage to the vitality of city life. It takes place annually at Sydney Olympic Park over a two-week period which includes the Easter long weekend.The Show is part of the long tradition of agricultural shows that are held in towns and cities across Australia. At these shows, rural and farming communities showcase their livestock and produce, and exhibitors, organisations and companies provide people in urban areas with a glimpse of rural life.Shows are also a time for competition, spectacle and entertainment. The Sydney Royal Easter Show includes the Sydney Royal Rodeo, and the visitorsto the show can enjoy the latest on offer in the way of extreme rides and attractions.FestivalsThere are many festivals held over the Easter holiday in Australia. Performers and audiences travel long distances to attend music festivals as diverse as the National Folk Festival27 in Canberra, the East Coast International Blues & Roots Festival28at Byron Bay in northern New South Wales, and the Australian Gospel Music Festival29 in Toowoomba in Queensland.There are also festivals with a more local or regional nature such as the Bendigo Easter Festival30, in Victoria.SportThe football31 season is well under way by Easter and all football codes schedule major league matches over the Easter holiday period which are well attended.The Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race32, a 308 nautical mile ocean race, is Queensland's premier blue water classic and one of Australia's major sporting events over the Easter weekend.For horse racing fans there is a four-day Easter Racing Carnival at Randwick Racecourse33in Sydney, Caulfield Racecourse34in Melbourne holds an Easter Saturday Meeting and an Easter Monday Meeting, and other cities and regional centres also schedule racing events at this time of year.The Tasmania Three Peaks Race35, a four-day, non-stop 335 nautical mile sailing and endurance running race around Tasmania's east coast every Easter attracts contestants from around the world. Teams of two runners leave their yachts at three points on the coast for 133 km of running. Each run involves scaling a rugged mountain peak.The Stawell Easter Gift36began as an athletics competition37between miners in the Victorian goldfields in 1878, and has run for all but four years since its inception. This event is Australia's 'best-known, richest and oldest professional footrace38' and is held every Easter in the small town of Stawell, located near the Grampians National Park in Victoria.。