3 posts tagged “australia”

today is ANZAC day, which is basically the Australian version of Memorial Day or Veterans Day.  ANZAC is Australia & New Zealand Army Corps, and ANZAC day is the date when the ANZACs landed at Gallopli in Turkey during WW1. It's usually a day to remember all Australian veterans, not just WW1.There aren't any Australian soldiers left from WW1, I think theres only 1 Canadian left (the Canadian Army fought at Gallipoli too). 

I usually call my dad on ANZAC day, his dad fought in WWII, I was thinking about it last night, but by this morning it had slipped my mind.  I was in downtown Toronto around 10 this morning with Jamie, when we walked past Town Hall, and I immediately spotted an Australian flag flying, I had to check it out.  There were about 30 people there, a few in uniform (they were in the Navy I think), I could tell the others were Australians (I can always spot an Aussie).  I felt pretty crap about forgetting it was Anzac day, but I wondered over to see what they were doing.   This young guy asked Jamie & I if we were Australian & we started chatting.  They'd just had a service, there were over a 100 people there, and were about to head down to the Flying Emu, an Australian pub in Toronto. 

I think next year I'll go the ANZAC service downtown, one day I want to go to Gallipoli, my brother Tenn has been there on ANZAC day & says its amazing.  Australia Day and ANZAC day are the two days when I get most homesick.

most holidays in Canada are a lot bigger deal than they are in Australia, except for maybe Christmas.   Australians don't really celebrate Halloween, and Thanksgiving and St. Patricks Day. 

In Australia, all you really do for Easter is go to mass on Easter Sunday, come home & get your Easter Eggs and maybe have lunch with your immediate family and grandparents. 

Here in Canada you go to church 3 times over Easter ... you go to Reconciliation a few days before Easter, then you go to mass on Good Friday, and then the biggie, mass on Easter Sunday.  The church is always packed on Easter Sunday, and we generally try to go to the Sunday Evening service when its quieter, but we had to go to the 7am service this morning cos my brother was in the Easter Passion Play.  he played Barrabus which is pretty funny, at least he wasn't Judas I guess.  Catholic mass is the same in Australia and Canada, the exact same format & cues. 

I would say that Australians are more strict about not eating meat on Fridays during lent.  Even at my Catholic High School, the menu doesnt change on Fridays at the tuck shop, you can still get pizza and ham & cheese rolls.

as I was saying, in Australia when you get home from church you get your Easter Eggs, I don't ever remember my parents suggesting they came from the Easter Bunny.  In Canada kids have to work for your Easter Eggs.  My stepdad & I were out hiding Easter Eggs around our backyard this morning.  We got about 4cms of snow last night, so we were trying not to leave footprints, Gerry even tried to make little rabbit prints.  We hid about 40 small Easter Eggs, my brother & sisters found 30 of them.  My brother is funny, he figured out theres no santa last Christmas, but he didnt give any indication he doesnt believe in the easter bunny.   In Canada you also get other presents besides chocolate for Easter, my mom gets us clothes (I got some jeans and a couple of shirts).

we usually have a bunch of people over for lunch on Easter Sunday, this year its going to be more low key, just my step-grandma & uncle are coming, Stacey is coming too. 

My little brothers elementary school was closed today, not because of snow but because of an outreak of gastro! Nole hasn't been sick luckily, I really hope I don't get it. Usually just hearing the word 'gastro' I start feeling sick. Apparently 34 kids at the school have experienced symptoms. Nole had 2 of his mates over when I got home from school today, they were playing my xbox with their grubby little 8 year old hands.

I'm going to Toronto tomorrow for Aussie Week, I got free tickets to see silverchair and the Living End. I've seen silverchair 4 times, but never actually seen the Living End. The new silverchair CD is gonna be sick, the first single sounds more like the Disassociates than silverchair, which is fine with me, but I hope they have a couple of proper rock songs!).

Well it looks like I'm having a quiet night in tonight, I do have a ton of homework & tonight is the only opportunity I'll get to do it (working tomorrow + going to the concert, snowboarding on Sunday). I'm supposed to record Leftovers Music at around 1AM tonight with Josh, I might do 10 minute blitz too if Jordan hasn’t beaten me to the punch (I know he'll be busting to talk about how the House told Bush he can't send more troops to Iraq).