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This excerpt first appeared in Encarta Interactive World Atlas (1998) and describes the cultural habits and social customs of the country’s people.
Diet and Eating
A wide range of fruit and vegetables is available year-round. Takeaway and fast-food outlets are popular. All varieties of fish and meat are common. There is a trend towards eating lighter and healthier foods. Australia’s cosmopolitan ethnic mix has brought with it a range of cuisine, and Asian food is now widely available. Most people eat their main meal in the evening. The evening meal is usually called dinner, although some (mostly older) people may refer to it as tea.
Recreation
Australians have a passion for sport, and outdoor activities are an important part of Australian life. Australian Rules football is the country’s main spectator sport, followed by rugby and cricket (Australia’s national teams are among the best in the world). Association football and horse racing are also popular. Australians enjoy a wide range of other sports, including basketball, netball (similar to basketball, but played almost exclusively by women), cycling, bush walking, golf, tennis, and lawn bowls. With the majority of Australians living on or near the coast, there is great enthusiasm for sailing, surfing, swimming, and fishing. Australians watch a great deal of television, and cinemas are also popular.
Holidays and Celebrations
National holidays include New Year's Day (1 January), Australia Day (26 January), Easter (Good Friday to Easter Monday), Anzac Day (or Veteran's Memorial Day, 25 April), Queen Elizabeth II's Official Birthday (second Monday in June), Christmas Day (25 December), and Boxing Day (26 December).
Australia Day commemorates the arrival of the British in 1788. Aborigines do not celebrate this holiday, and although non-Aboriginal Australians observe it, few people delight in its origins.
On Anzac Day, Australians celebrate the anniversary of the Anzac troops landing at Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey during World War I. The word Anzac is derived from Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. Anzac Day honours those who gave their lives for their country during wartime.
Unofficial holidays include Canberra Day, on the third Monday in March, which celebrates the founding of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Eight Hour Day, generally known as Labour Day, is celebrated on various dates depending on location. This holiday celebrates the improvement of working conditions since the trade unions succeeded in limiting daily working hours to eight.
Source: Encarta Interactive World Atlas.
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