Christmas in New Zealand is less about snow and sleigh bells and more about sun, sand and barbecues in the backyard. During December we delve into the Kiwi Christmas experience –
from Abel Tasman’s first New Zealand Christmas in 1642 to the declining
reign of the Queen’s message in our living rooms.
First observed in 1916, Anzac Day - 25 April - commemorates those killed in war as well as honouring returned servicemen and women. The ceremonies that are held at war memorials across the country, or in places overseas where New Zealanders gather, are rich in tradition and ritual.
Every year on 6 February New Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Since the 1970s the style and mood of the commemorations on Waitangi Day have been influenced by the increasingly heated debate surrounding the status of the Treaty in modern-day New Zealand.
The Anzac Day ceremony of 25 April is a form ofmilitary funeral and follows a particular pattern. The day's ceremonies have two major parts: one at dawn and another, more public event, later in the morning.
24 May, Queen Victoria's birthday, was Empire Day. Most people welcomed this link to 'Queen Victoria the Good' in the days when the celebration of the sovereign's birthday changed with each new monarch.
Anzac Day became a public holiday and took on new meaning in a time of peace. It became a time to express sorrow, not glorify war, and was a sacred day that had a secular tone.
The Waitangi Day Act 1960 declared 6 February to be Waitangi Day – a national day of thanksgiving in commemoration of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Empire Day segued into Commonwealth Day in 1958 when 100 people gathered around Queen Victoria's statue in Albert Park to hear Governor-General Lord Cobham say that 'the British Empire had now given way to the noble concept of a Commonwealth of free peoples'
Parades, flag raising ceremonies and unveilings and openings were common on Empire Day. The Victoria Ward of the Wanganui public hospital opened on Empire Day 1903
Come late December and thousands of Kiwis get ready for their annual
holiday. They look forward to lazy days at the beach or the bach (or
crib), games of backyard cricket, food on the barbie and the holiday
uniform of shorts, jandals and T-shirts.