ANZAC Day facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Anzac Day
Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary
Observed by	Memorial services, memorial parades, public holiday
Type	Commemorative, patriotic, historic
Significance	First landing of the Anzacs at Gallipoli
Observances	Military parades, remembrance services
Date	25 April
Related to	Remembrance Day (Commonwealth of Nations), Armistice Day, Veterans Day

Anzac Day is a special national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand. It honors all Australians and New Zealanders who have served and died in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping missions. It also remembers the efforts and struggles of everyone who has served their country.

Anzac Day is observed every year on April 25. It was first created to remember the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). These brave soldiers fought at Gallipoli against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Anzac Day is also celebrated in the Cook Islands, Niue, Pitcairn Islands, and Tonga.

The name ANZAC stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers from this group were known as Anzacs. Today, Anzac Day remains one of the most important national events in both Australia and New Zealand.

Why We Remember Anzac Day
- The Gallipoli Landing
- How Anzac Day Began
Anzac Day Traditions
- The Dawn Service
- The Ode
Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand
- Anzac Day in Australia
- Anzac Day in New Zealand
Gallipoli Today
Sports and Anzac Day
- Australian Rules Football
- Rugby League
Images for kids
See also

Why We Remember Anzac Day

The Gallipoli Landing

The ANZAC tradition began during World War I in 1915. Soldiers landed at Gallipoli on the Turkish coast. Due to a mistake, the Anzacs landed about a mile north of where they planned. Instead of a gentle beach, they faced steep cliffs. This gave the Turkish defenders a strong position.

What was meant to be a quick attack turned into a long, difficult fight. The campaign lasted for eight months. By the end of 1915, the Allied forces had to leave. Both sides had lost many soldiers and faced great hardships.

Even though they did not capture Constantinople or defeat the Ottoman Empire, the actions of the Australian and New Zealand troops left a strong mark. This led to what is known as the "Anzac legend." This legend became a very important part of the national identity for both countries. It has shaped how their people see their past and understand their present.

How Anzac Day Began

On April 30, 1915, New Zealand heard the first news of the Gallipoli landing. A half-day holiday was announced. Services were held to honor the soldiers who had landed.

The date April 25 was officially named Anzac Day in 1916. That year, many ceremonies and services took place in Australia and New Zealand. There was even a special march in London with Australian and New Zealand troops.

During the 1920s, Anzac Day became a National Day of Commemoration. It remembered the 60,000 Australians and 18,000 New Zealanders who died in the war. Today, ceremonies are held at war memorials across both countries. It is a day for Australians and New Zealanders to reflect on war.

Anzac Day Traditions

The Dawn Service

After World War I, soldiers who returned home often sought the quiet moments before dawn. This time reminded them of the peaceful moments they shared before battles. Because of the dawn landing at Gallipoli, a dawn ceremony became a common way to remember Anzac Day in the 1920s.

Before dawn, veterans would "stand-to" (stand ready). Then, two minutes of silence would follow. A lone bugler would play the Last Post to start this silence. The service would end with the playing of Reveille.

Today, in Australia and New Zealand, the ANZAC Day celebration still includes a "dawn service." The first official dawn service was held at the Sydney Cenotaph in 1927. Now, these services happen at war memorials all over the country.

Modern dawn services usually follow a set pattern. This pattern is familiar to many generations of Australians. It includes an introduction, a hymn, a prayer, a speech, laying wreaths, reading verses, playing the Last Post, a minute of silence, Reveille, and playing the national anthems of New Zealand and Australia.

After many dawn ceremonies, there is a tradition called the 'gunfire breakfast'. In Australia, people often wear sprigs of rosemary on their clothes. In New Zealand, poppies are worn.

The Ode

This special verse is often said during the minutes of silence on Anzac Day:

They shall grow not old,
As we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun,
And in the morning
We will remember them.

—Laurence Binyon (1869-1943), For the Fallen (1914)

The verse traditionally ends with the words "Lest We Forget."

Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand

Anzac Day in Australia

Marches by veterans from all past wars are held in major cities and towns across Australia. The ANZAC Day parade from each state capital is shown live on TV. After these events, veterans often gather socially. They might go to a pub or an RSL Club. They sometimes play a traditional Australian gambling game called "two-up." This game was very popular with ANZAC soldiers.

While Australia's official national day is "Australia Day," many Australians now see ANZAC Day as the country's true national day. Australia became a nation in 1901. However, its national identity was largely shaped during World War I. For most Australians, the most important event in the war was the landing at Gallipoli.

Anzac Day in New Zealand

New Zealand's celebration of ANZAC Day is very similar. Anzac Day now helps create a feeling of unity. Perhaps more than any other day, it brings people together. People with different beliefs can share a true sadness for the many lives lost in war. They also show real respect for those who have fought for their country.

Gallipoli Today

In 1990, to mark 75 years since the Gallipoli landing, officials from Australia and New Zealand traveled to Turkey. Many of the last surviving Gallipoli veterans also went. Many Australian and New Zealand tourists joined them for a special dawn service at Gallipoli. Attending the dawn service at Gallipoli has become a popular tradition on Anzac Day. The last known Gallipoli veteran, Alec Campbell, passed away in May 2002.

Sports and Anzac Day

Australian Rules Football

During many wars, Australian rules football matches have been played overseas. These games took place in places like northern Africa, Vietnam, and Iraq. They were a way to celebrate Australian culture and help soldiers bond.

The modern tradition started in 1995. Every year, traditional AFL rivals Collingwood and Essendon play a game. This match happens at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This yearly game is often seen as the biggest of the AFL season, apart from the finals. A record crowd of 94,825 people watched the first match in 1995. The Anzac Medal is given to the player in the game who best shows the Anzac spirit. This includes skill, courage, self-sacrifice, teamwork, and fair play.

Rugby League

The Anzac Test was a rugby league match that honored Anzac Day. This match was always played between the Australian and New Zealand national teams. The 2017 Anzac Test was the 18th and last Anzac Test played between the two nations. The first was played in 1997. The final match took place on May 5, 2017.

Images for kids

Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009.
An Australian veteran on Anzac Day.
War memorial at The Gap, Queensland - ANZAC Day 2012.
The Last Post is played at an ANZAC Day ceremony in Port Melbourne, Victoria, 25 April, 2005.
Lest we forget.
A flight of air force cadets at the ANZAC Day Parade 2013 in Sydney.
A soldier bows his head at an ANZAC Day service at the National War Memorial in Wellington NZ.
ANZAC Day game between Collingwood and Essendon football teams.
The remembrance poppy is an artificial flower used since 1921 to remember war dead.
Flags on the cenotaph in Wellington for the 2007 Dawn March.
First Anzac Day parade in Sydney, along Macquarie Street, 25 April 1916.
Anzac Day at Manly, Queensland, 1922.
Anzac Day at Darwin, 25 April 2013.
A large commemoration march in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales (April 2008).
Hobart Cenotaph, Tasmania, Australia — with wreaths for ANZAC Day.
The wreath laying at the 2008 dawn service at the Australian War Memorial at Hyde Park Corner, London.
Australian War Memorial Anzac Day dawn service, 25 April 2013.
Dignitaries at the 2008 Anzac Day National Service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Each year on ANZAC Day in Te Awamutu, New Zealand the graves of War Veterans are decorated.
Dawn service in Wellington, New Zealand on the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli.
North Beach looking toward Suvla in Anzac Cove in Turkey.
North Beach with "sphinx" rock in the background in Anzac Cove in Turkey.
The High Commissioners of Australia and New Zealand lay wreaths at an Anzac Day ceremony at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.
Anzac Day ceremony in Montreal, Quebec.
Anzac Day dawn service at the New Zealand Memorial, Hyde Park Corner, London, 25 April 2008.
Boys Brigade review on 25 April 2005 (Rarotonga).
Australian and New Zealand soldiers during an Anzac Day dawn service at Camp Taji in Iraq during 2018.
The Sandakan Memorial Park where the ANZAC Day is annually commemorated in the site of the former Sandakan Death Marches in Sabah, Malaysia.