Easter Monday
Easter Monday
Although Australia and New Zealand are two different countries with visibly separate cultures, they have twin celebrations of Easter Monday. For both, the observance is a legal holiday. Moreover, it sometimes may coincide with Anzac Day (April 25), it marks the end of multiple festivals and cultural events, and it falls on a different season than in the northern Anglophone countries.
Easter Monday in the Land Down Under occurs during harvest, while Europe and America celebrate it in the spring. Nevertheless, the holiday is observed on the same day worldwide (except Eastern Orthodox), distinguished by the occurrence of the first full moon after March Equinox: Easter Monday follows Sunday, which directly succeeds the special moon activity. All holiday imagery, which consists mainly of symbols of life and renewal, has been adopted by New Zealand and Australia.
The idea of Easter Monday celebrations came to Oceania from the UK; the British developed the holiday on the basis of the 11th century festival of Hocktide, which fell on the Monday and Tuesday after Easter. It was a secular observance, according to some Protestants from the later centuries “corrupting” the pure Christian commemoration of Jesus’ miraculous resurrection. Puritans were unfavorable towards Easter altogether, banning it in England in the 17th century. Nevertheless, the tradition soon came back and has bloomed since. Australians and New Zealanders have adopted some of it throughout the centuries. Later on, in the 20th century, there occurred a notable wave of immigration to the English-speaking countries in Oceania. Many of the newcomers were Orthodox Christians, who brought a few new customs and a different date of the holiday to Australia and New Zealand. Although the Western style is still the primary observance there, Orthodox rules also exist on a wide scale.
Easter Monday is a closing day for many events throughout New Zealand and Australia. The former country may boast with the famous Royal Easter Show in Auckland, which includes the egg hunt (collective search for a treat hidden by the Easter Bunny), face painting, fireworks and native animal displays. The food of the festival are chocolate eggs and other theme candy, hot cross buns and local fruit. A similar event is held in Sydney, but it is not as prominent in that country as the one in Auckland is in New Zealand. Australia hosts many musical events, such as the National Folk Festival or Australian Gospel Festival. There is also a number of popular races that occur on Easter Monday, such as the Australian Three Peeks Festival peopled by mountain runners or the Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival with horse competitions. Moreover, both countries, New Zealand and Australia, enjoy characteristic Easter traditions, such as egg races or egg rolling competitions. Most often, however, citizens decide to spend the day in the quiet company of their family or friends.
Easter Monday is a public holiday in both Australia and New Zealand, hence most employees have the day free from work. The tradition has been created by the British and has not changed immensely in the Land Down Under. An interesting contribution is that, in its holiday imagery, Australia has replaced the fertile bunny, symbolic of new life in spring, with the native bilby, which is endangered species and is promoted as a friendly animal. Apart from that, however, there is not much transformation from the European way of spending the holiday: some people attend the Christian mass, some participate in folkloristic or otherwise cultural events, and some simply relax after the preceding Easter celebrations.
Easter Monday is the finish line of many events and, particularly, the holiday weekend, but – in Oceania – it is not much else. Hence, whenever the holiday would fall on April 25’s Anzac Day, it is rather safe to say that the latter would be the more notable occasion.