Harmony Day
Harmony Day is celebrated on 21 March every year. It is organised by the Australian Government and is a day to celebrate our culturally diverse society.
Australians come from all over the world. Indigenous Australians have been here for tens of thousands of years. In the last two centuries people have come from every continent to make Australia their home.
Today there are more than 22 million people living in Australia who all contribute different ideas, religions, languages and customs to our country. The diversity of people who live in Australia makes it an interesting place to live.
Harmony Day fast facts:
Australians come from all over the world. Indigenous Australians have been here for tens of thousands of years. In the last two centuries people have come from every continent to make Australia their home.
Today there are more than 22 million people living in Australia who all contribute different ideas, religions, languages and customs to our country. The diversity of people who live in Australia makes it an interesting place to live.
Harmony Day fast facts:
- Did you know that since 1945 over seven million people have migrated to Australia?
- Harmony Day takes place on the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
- Did you know that Harmony Day began in 1999 and since then more than 25,000 Harmony Day events have been held across the country?
- Australians identify with over 270 ancestral backgrounds.
- Often, before an event, function or meeting takes place, Australians will acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land they are on. This is called an ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ and it pays respect to Aboriginal culture and heritage.
- Events celebrating Harmony Day can be held by schools, sporting clubs or community groups.
Anh's Story.
Hi. I’m Anh.
It’s not often I ask myself who I really am, but that’s what I’m doing right now.
We’re going to have a day at school where we have to wear clothes and bring food to celebrate who we are and where our families are from.
Well, I was born here and so were both my parents. So I was thinking that I’d wear shorts and take some lamingtons. And celebrate being an Aussie: that’s who I am!
But tonight my bà made my very favourite dinner: I call it ‘magic noodles’ and that makes her smile. Bà often looks really sad so it’s good when she smiles. Her mother taught her to make the noodle soup in Vietnam; but she couldn’t make it for a many years because her life was very hard. And when she first got to Australia, she couldn’t buy the things to make it taste like it should.
But now there are lots of Vietnamese shops here. And I go with Bà when she buys the spices and incense that she has always loved.
So, I am an Aussie. But I love ‘magic noodles’ and it would make Bà so proud if I took them to school. I’m thinking that I really do have a special story to share about who I am and where my family is from.
Discussion Questions:
It’s not often I ask myself who I really am, but that’s what I’m doing right now.
We’re going to have a day at school where we have to wear clothes and bring food to celebrate who we are and where our families are from.
Well, I was born here and so were both my parents. So I was thinking that I’d wear shorts and take some lamingtons. And celebrate being an Aussie: that’s who I am!
But tonight my bà made my very favourite dinner: I call it ‘magic noodles’ and that makes her smile. Bà often looks really sad so it’s good when she smiles. Her mother taught her to make the noodle soup in Vietnam; but she couldn’t make it for a many years because her life was very hard. And when she first got to Australia, she couldn’t buy the things to make it taste like it should.
But now there are lots of Vietnamese shops here. And I go with Bà when she buys the spices and incense that she has always loved.
So, I am an Aussie. But I love ‘magic noodles’ and it would make Bà so proud if I took them to school. I’m thinking that I really do have a special story to share about who I am and where my family is from.
Discussion Questions:
- Anh describes herself as ‘an Aussie’. What do you think that it means to be ‘an Aussie’?
- What values and beliefs do you think that Australians share?
- Is it possible for Anh to be both an Aussie and Vietnamese?
- What would someone mean if they described themselves as a ‘Vietnamese Australian’?