Tuesday, January 03, 2006

A

Anzac day
memorial day for Australian and New Zealand troops. Always falls on the 25th of April, always a public holiday.

Occurs in Australia and New Zealand and in Australian and New Zealand official buildings (eg, embassies) and armed forces bases around the world.
ANZAC means Australian & New Zealand Armed Corps. There's dawn services at war memorials, there's a march through the city streets by those who've served in past and present wars, there's acknowledgement and commemoration of sacrifice and remembrance of mates (buddies) who never came home, sprigs of rosemary are worn on lapels and small flags waved, it's the one day of the year two-up is legal in pubs, clubs & backyards and old men cry in the street. Think of Memorial day & Veterans' day rolled into one. But quieter. And we generally don't hang flags out of our windows.

arse
ass

arvo
afternoon

Aussie Aussie Aussie
sports supporters' chant used at international events, "oi!" means "hey!"

One person, or a small group, calls the first line to start the chant and the crowd responds. The chant is usually performed with little aggression and few gestures, though there may be some foot stamping for volume where needed. 'Oi!' means 'hey!'

Caller: Aussie Aussie Aussie!
Response: Oi Oi Oi!
Caller: Aussie!
Response: Oi!
Caller: Aussie!
Response: Oi!
Caller: Aussie Aussie Aussie!
Response: Oi Oi Oi!

Repeat until shouted down by opposing international team's supporters.

Australian Army

Australia Day
marking and celebrating the beginning of white Australia in 1788.
26th of January every year. A public holiday.

There's fireworks and public singing. The singing is the quiet embarrassed public singing we do for the national anthem (Advance Australia Fair) and the un-official national anthem (Waltzing Mathilda).

Australia Day marks and celebrates the beginning in 1788 of the British colony that became white Australia. Survival Day marks the same event seen from the point of view of indigenous Australians who were inhabiting Australia at the time of the British takeover and have been smacked around ever since.

Autumn
Fall

Autumn begins on the first of March. Yep, that's right, it's Fall in Australia when it's Spring in America. Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere (bottom half of the world), America is in the Northern (top half of the world). Our Winter starts on the 1st of June, our Spring on the 1st of September and our Summer on the 1st of December. Cyclone season and bushfire season usually start in October and end in February.

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