Celebrations are more muted this year because of covid (Picture: AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Australia Day is celebrated by people Down Under, but it’s not all barbecues and booze.

If you’ve noticed the day seems a little heated, it’s because it’s quite a controversial part of the Aussie calendar.

Find out all you need to know about Australia Day here…

Watching Australia Day celebrations and wondering what they mean?

When is Australia Day?

Australia Day is celebrated on January 26 every year.

It’s been a public holiday since 1994, so expect to see your friends Down Under take the day off, enjoying fireworks displays and spending time at the beach.

The day is also marked with an Honours List, and speeches from politicians.

Celebrities are known to get involved, too. In 2021, the late Olivia Newton John was criticised for not including Aboriginal Australians in her Australia Day message.

The Grease star took to Twitter to share a video, saying ‘G’Day everyone, this is Olivia and I just wanted to wish all of you Aussies all around the world a very, very happy Australia Day.’

Fans replied to share their disappointment as the message made no mention of Indigenous people.

Liam Hemsworth, however, was praised for sharing a thoughtful essay to his Instagram, with an image of the Aboriginal Australian flag. Part of his comment reads ‘Always Was, Always Will Be. acknowledges that hundreds of Nations and our cultures covered this continent.’

What does Australia Day commemorate?

Australia Day commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet – 11 ships of convicts that set off from England – in Sydney in 1788.

Captain Arthur Phillip raised the Union Jack to signal their arrival, beginning the colonisation of Australia.

Australia Day wasn’t actually a national event until around a century later, but there are records of more local celebrations happening long before that.

It became a national event during the First World War, with the aim of using the day to fundraise for servicemen.

Aboriginal people see the celebration as a day of mourning (Picture: Recep Sakar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Why is Australia Day controversial?

Australia Day is controversial because First Nations people, or Indigenous Australians, inhabited the country long before the First Fleet arrived.

According to National Geographic, Aboriginal Australians have been in the country for over 50,000 years – long before the British arrived.

It’s a day of mourning for many, as Australia Day is a reminder of the tens of thousands of deaths caused by colonisation and many people instead choose to refer to it as ‘Invasion Day’ and hold protests and marches on the day.

In recent years, there’s been a growing movement to change the date of the celebration. According to the The Guardian, 57% of Australians said in a 2022 poll they are either in favour of moving the date, or of having a separate date to celebrate Aboriginal Australians.

Some Australians have suggested that the date be changed to May, 8 as it sounds like ‘mate’, part of the classic Aussie phrase ‘G’day Mate’.

The Australian Open, which is currently taking place in Melbourne, has said that this year it will not stage any events to mark Australia Day, in order to avoid conflict.

Despite the controversy, Australia Day remains popular with politicians, and changing the date does not seem likely any time soon. 

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The celebrations Down Under aren’t all barbecues and booze.