The national day of Australia and New Zealand is celebrated in remembrance of those people who served to contribute to the conflicts, peace spreading operations, and suffered. ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) day is observed on 25th April every year to pay tribute to those who served ones in the Gallipoli campaign in the First World War (1914-1918). A public holiday is entertained in Australia and New Zealand on this day. Anzac Day achieved its worth as a public holiday in 1921. Before this, it was gazetted as a half-day holiday. Hence, it got its official fame in 1916.
Historical Context of Anzac Day
During the Gallipoli Campaign, thousands of people military soldiers lost their lives which comprised 87,000 Ottoman Turks, 44,000 people from France and the British Empire adding 8500 Australians. On the 25th of April, Australia also marks its calendar for Anzac Day. About 2779 New Zealanders were included in those who died about one in six of those who served in the Gallipoli Campaign.
Since then New Zealand gained the position of a distinct nation as it fought on the different sides of the world on the behalf of British Empire. Anzac Day had to go through many transformations since it’s been celebrated in 1916. This day became a tradition and ritual for the New Zealanders. It started holding war memorials in New Zealand and overseas places where the people of New Zealand resided.
In Australia, Anzac Day is the remembrance of those Australians who were killed in military operations. In 1939, the Anzac Day Dawn ceremony was celebrated at a broader level for the commemoration of the first time in New Zealand.
In 2013, it was decided that whenever Anzac Day 25th April will occur on Saturday or Sunday there will be a public holiday on Monday. According to the latest update of 2020, all Anzac Day public events were canceled in New Zealand due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
